To enjoy the Italian wine taste, all you have to do is drink it. But if you are interest to discover the main varieties of Italian red and white wine, the grapes they're produced from and what their labels say, keep reading on:
Main Italian White Wines
When looking for Italian white wines, you will find a variety of them including sparkling, sweet, dry, smooth, fruity, and crisp. The list above describes each of the main Italian white whites:
- Asti: Asti is a sparkling wine produced from Moscato grapes. It is sweet, low in alcohol, and has pronounced fruity and floral flavors. Youth and freshness are essential to its quality.
- Gavi: Gavi is a dry, medium-bodied wine produced from Cortese grapes. This Italian wine taste is typically crisp and un-oaked with delicate notes of apples, honey, and minerals.
- Orvieto: Orvieto is generally a medium-bodied wine produced mainly from Grechetto grapes. It is dry, crisp, with flavors of apple, pear and has a pleasantly bitter finish.
- Pinot Grigio: Produced from Pinot Gris grapes, Pinot Grigio wine is generally light-bodied, dry, and crisp, and presents subdued aromas and flavors and no oakiness.
- Soave: Produced mainly from Garganega grapes, Soave is a wine that is generally light- or medium-bodied, dry, crisp, un-oaked, and present subdued flavors of peach, pear or apple.
Main Italian Red Wines
The main Italian Red Wines are:
- Amarone: Amarone is a dry and firm wine produced from the Corvina grapes. It is full-bodied but its ripe, concentrated fruitiness suggests sweetness. Best paired with rich, savory foods or flavorful cheeses.
- Barolo: A dry, full-bodied wine produced from Nebbiolo grapes. This Italian wine taste involves strawberries, herbs, tar and earth flavors, complex aromas as well as a firm, tannic structure. Depending on the producer it is best enjoyed at 10 to 20 years of age.
- Brunello di Montalcino: Produced from Sangiovese grapes, it is a dry, quite tannic, full-bodied, intense, concentrated wine that is best to drink when it's at least 15 years old.
- Lambrusco: A sweet, fizzy wine produced from Lambrusco grapes. Dry and sparkling styles can also be found.
- Montepulciano d'Abruzzo: Usually a medium-bodied wine with red fruits flavours and a slightly vegetal note. Lighter styles of the wine tend to be smooth and easy to drink.
Italian Wine Classification
- DOCG: represents the highest quality.
- DOC: That means that the wine was produced with grapes grown in a predefined area and the wine was produced according to certain rules in order to maintain an unique characteristic.
- IGT: This is used for table wines – usually the local ones. .
- VDT: Wines in this class means that they are from lower end, and they are mostly the table wines produced at certain region of the Italy.