by Michael Orr

Created on: February 12, 2009   Last Updated: February 13, 2009

Italians have it all; a love for fabulous food, wine and family. Often these are listed in that order. We'll discuss one third of that formula here with a quick overview of Italian wines.

The first grape vines in Italy were an indigenous species that is believed to have been used for wine making as far back as 900 B.C., long before the Romans began organizing and developing their own vineyards in around 200 B.C. Today wine grapes are grown in every region of Italy, with more than a million vineyards in operation. This doesn't even take into account the large numbers of families that grow grapes for home-made wine making.

Italy's wine industry now accounts for nearly one-fifth of the world's wine production, although a vast majority of that production is for domestic consumption. Therefore, we will focus on the primary grape varieties that are available on the world market. Italy's wines are usually named for the region in which they are produced and not necessarily for the type of grape used. The Indicazione Geografica Tipica(IGT) means that this wine meets standards and styles of that region, i.e. Chianti Classico, Mocato d' Asti, Orvieto and Sangiovese di Romagna.

Italy's most common varietal, and the one they most commonly export, is Sangiovese. Sangiovese, singularly and blended with other varietals, is the grape responsible for many of the country's best wines; Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and many of the 'Super Tuscans'. Sangiovese is the primary red varietal of the Tuscany region, but it is also widely planted in nearly every wine-making region on the southern, main peninsular portion of the country.

Another popular grape varietal is Nebbiolo. This varietal, grown primarily in the northwestern Piedmont region of Italy, is responsible for the most renowned Barolos and Barbarescos. Many of these are big and bold with great cherry fruit flavor, others are more accessible to wine drinkers. These are also among the most expensive wines Italy exports.

If you go to any restaurant in New York City's 'Little Italy', it is likely that you will find, whether you ordered it or not, a bottle of Montepulciano di Abruzzo. These wines made on the eastern coast of Italy are smooth and silky, with fruit-forward plum-like qualities and light tannins. They are also comparatively affordable.

The primary grape varietal is, without question, Pinot Grigio, although significant amounts of Moscato, Trebbiano and Chardonnay are also grown. One of the quickly growing white wines exported are Orvietos. Orvieto is a village in the central part of Italy just north of Rome. The wine of this region is a light and refreshing blend of Trebbiano and Verdelho.

Italy has a wonderful history and passion for wine-making and even more passion for wine drinking. As such most of her wines are approachable, fruit forward and refreshing. Try as many as you can, as Italy definitely has something that will appeal to any palate.

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