

As the name suggests, it is incredibly bright and fresh, with flavours of zingy lemon tempered by some minerality. “Spèra” means “beam of light” in the dialect of Northern Sardinia, where this fabulous wine is from. Our customers’ vote for the best Italian white wine this year goes to Siddùra “Spèra”, Vermentino di Gallura DOCG. As well as showing which wines are trending this year, it also shows which wines people consider to be good value for money. One way to figure this out is looking at best-seller lists, such as our annual ranking: “Independent Wine’s Top 10 Most Popular Italian Wines”. So what do regular UK wine lovers consider to be the best Italian wine? While experts’ picks are fabulous, they might be out of reach for some consumers.

As well as international celebrities like Chianti Classico and Primitivo, we’re going to highlight some lesser known wines like elegant Roero Arneis and powerful Cannonau di Sardegna. This article is a deeper dive into the best wines from each region of Italy, what they taste like and some recommendations for award-winning wines that you can buy from our catalogue. But as consumer tastes shifted, wineries reduced their plantings from over 50 thousand hectares in the 1970’s to 28 thousand in 2010 (MiPAAF). While it can be found in still white wines, Chardonnay is the source of Italy’s best Metodo Classico sparkling wines: Franciacorta and Oltrepò Pavese. The most important international grape in Italy is Chardonnay (48,600 hectares). Catarratto Bianco is the most widely planted white grape at 85,900 hectares. Most of it is used to produce Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wine. The Montepulciano grape comes second, covering 86,000 hectares. It is responsible for some of Italy’s best wines: Chianti Classico, Vino Noble di Montepulciano, and Brunello di Montalcino. Sangiovese is the most widely planted varietal (71,500 hectares). Without doubt, the lion’s share of Italian wine is produced using Italy’s native grapes. Which are the most important Italian grapes?

For example, in 2020 the list grew by over 20 new grapes, including Uva Giulia and Cabernet Blanc, and in 2021 – Rabosa Bianca and Moretto Grosso. If the assessed varietal is a close relative of another grape, it will be added as clone, or biotype. If a grape’s uniqueness is confirmed by DNA analysis, it will be added to the Registro Nazionale. MiPAAF continues to evaluate grapes and clones planted in vineyards across Italy. The final grape on the list is Zweigelt, cultivated to make elegant reds near the Austrian border in Alto Adige.īut the number of grapes is not fixed. The list of Italian grapes starts with Abbuoto, a red grape from around Rome, which was possibly used to make Caecubum – the famous Roman wine praised by Pliny the Elder and Horace. This explains the great level of natural diversity, and why so many unique grapes have developed over time. With 77% of its territory covered by hills and mountains, Italy is influenced by three seas: Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, and Ionian. But on all counts, Italy boasts the largest number of grapes in the world. They are recorded in Registro Nazionale delle Varietà di Vite – the registry of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (MiPAAF). While various sources claim that Italy has anywhere from 300 to 2,000 grapes, there are officially 605 grapes used to produce wines across Italy.

Italian grapes How many Italian grapes are there? Wines made in the mountains are often premium-priced with elegant flavours, while wines grown on flat terrain are easy-to-drink and affordable. Italy also successfully makes wines from international grape varieties such Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. In terms of Italian white wines, the most famous is Pinot Grigio which is made from the grape of the same name, as well as Gavi (from the Cortese grape), and Soave (from the Garganega grape). Italy is also famous for its sparkling wines, especially Prosecco (produced from the grape Glera) and Moscato (from Moscato Bianco). Classic Italian red wines include Barolo and Barbaresco (both made from the Nebbiolo grape), Chianti and Chianti Classico (from the Sangiovese grape), Amarone and Valpolicella (from the Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes), and Nero d’Avola wine (from the Nero d’Avola grape). Italy is most famous for wines made from its indigenous grapes. Italian wine: Italy has a wider selection of wines than anywhere else in the world, and uses 605 unique grapes to produce them.
