Last updated: August 8, 2024
Italy offers discerning wine lovers some of the best and most famous wine regions in the world alongside a myriad of little-known, insider wine gems. The rich diversity of landscapes, terroirs, and grape varieties across Italy’s mainland and islands offers a truly exhilarating variety of wine styles.
The lush and verdant north of Italy, home to stunning lakes (like Como, Maggiore, Garda, Orta, and Iseo) and dazzling mountains like the Alps and Dolomites, is where you will find the iconic fine wine regions of Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont, Amarone in Veneto, the beautiful sparkling Prosecco and Franciacorta wine country and the fragrant “Super Whites” of Friuli.
In central Italy, the scenic vineyards of Brunello, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and the Super Tuscans of Maremma make Tuscany one of Italy’s most popular wine regions. Adjacent Umbria is lesser known but up and coming, with many dynamic, small wine estates actively making powerful Sagrantino reds with increasing finesse. Then, the Adriatic coastal wine area of Marche is where they make the delightful, crisp, and fresh Verdiccio whites, known for their distinctive and fun fish-shaped bottles.
The sunkissed south, with its idyllic coastlines with pastel-colored villages and sparkling turquoise seas, is where you can discover some of the country’s most interesting wines- many of which date back to the Ancient Greeks. Aglianico (referred to as “Barolo of the south”), elegant, volcanic Falanghina in Campania, and the velvety red Negoramaro wines of Puglia are some of the more renowned Southern Italian wines. But the heel to the boot of Italy is a treasure trove of literally hundreds of wine appellations, an adventure and satisfying challenge for wine aficionados.
Finally, Italy has over 400 islands, many of which cultivate vines. Sardinia and Sicily are the largest islands and fantastic wine producers, with wines like the slightly effervescent Vermentino and the sultry wines of Mount Etna firmly on the connoisseur’s map. You might be surprised to learn, though, that they also make unique and delicious wines in popular tourist haunts like Capri and volcanic Pompeii and even in the Venetian lagoon on Mazzorbo Island.
From the north to the south to the islands, wine enthusiasts are simply spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing great wines from Italy! Here, you will discover more detail and background on Italy’s main wine regions, grape varietals and famous wines:
