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TheWayToItaly

The Wine Regions of Italy

I can't think of Italy without thinking about wine (and pasta of course). I am not a wine connoisseur but I have taken a few of them on tour through the Tuscan wine region. We visited vineyards and tasted 5 of the 11 DOCG wines of Tuscany. DOCG - Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin) is put in place to protect wine consumers. There are specific production, territory, and harvesting rules and regulations. DOCG wines offer extremely important guarantees of the highest standard such as the certainty of great quality and truthful origin.


View of a Dinner Table in a Wine Room in Florence
Dinner in a Wine Room in Florence

There are currently 78 DOCG wines in all of Italy. WebFoodCulure has the list you can view HERE


Each wine has a certain percentage of a grape variety that has to be in each bottle to be labeled a certain wine. For instance: Chianti Classico has to be made with a minimum of 80% Sangiovese grapes. But Chianti has to be made with a minimum of 70% Sangiovese AND 15% cabernet. This is why you see different shades of vines in the fall. There are many different grape varieties growing in each vineyard.


View of a Tuscan landscape with Merlot vines that have turned red in the fall
Merlot vines in Tuscany turn red in the fall

Here is a rundown of Italy's Wine Regions and what grape/wine varieties are produced in each. We start with the highest-yielding regions and work our way down.


Veneto

Prosecco

Soave

Valpolicella/Bardolino

Merlot

Pinot Grigio


Tuscany

Chianti

Brunello di Montalcino

Trebbiano

Merlot

Cabernet Sauvignon

Vinsanto


Piedmont

Barolo/Barabaresco

Barbera

Moscato D'Asti

Dolcetto

Gavi

Brachetto

Arneis


Emilia-Romagna

Trebbiano

Lambrusco

Sangiovese

Barbera


Lombardy

Croatina (Bonarda)

Pinot Noir (Pinot Nero)

Franciacorta

Barbera

Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo)


Umbria

Montefalco Rosso

Trebbiano

Grechetto

Merlot

Sagrantino


Abruzzo

Montepulciiano D'Abruzzo

Trebbiano

Chardonnay Sangiovese


Trentino Alto-Adige

Schiava (Vernatsch)

Trentodoc

Pinot Grigio

Muller-Thurgau

Merlot

Gewurztraminer

Teroldego

Lagrein


Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Pinot Grigio

Merlot

Friuliano

Chardonnay

Cabernet Franc

Refosco

Schioppettino


Marche

Verdicchio

Lacrima di Morro D'Alba

Montepulciano


Puglia

Sangiovese

Primitivo(Zinfandel)

Negroamaro

Montepulciano

Trebbiano


Lazio

Malvasia

Trebbiano

Merlot

Sangiovese

Cesanese


Sicily

Marsala

Catarratto Bianco

Nero D'Avolo

Grillo

Inzolia

Syrah

Chardonnay

Grecannico

Nerello Masalese


Sardinia

Cannonau (Grenache)

Vermentino

Carignan

Monica Nera

Nuragub


Campania

Aglianico

Falanghina

Malvasia

Greco Bianco

Fiano


Liguria

Vermentino

Rossese


Calabria

Gaglioppo

Greco Nero

Magliocco

Greco Bianco


Molise

Montepulciano

Cabernet Sauvignon

Trebbiano


Basilicata

Aglianico

Sangiovese

Primitivo


Valle d'Aosta

Petite Arvine

Petite Rouge

Picotendre (Nebbiolo)

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