Think You Know About Italian Wines?

Online, February 14, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Wines of Italy have always confused me. When picking a bottle off the shelf of my local wine shop, I am too intimidated by the selections in the Italian wine section to grab one. I have started trying them out lately but it is usually hit or miss finding a good one. But now with this more comprehensive guide I should be more prepared. Check it out...

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Italian Wine Guide
Making an Italian wine guide that covers the whole of the country in just one web page is almost an impossible task. There is hardly an inch of Italy that couldn't ripen grapes suitable for wine, and consequently there are a myriad of classified regions producing a diverse array of wines, some of which are rarely seen outside of Italy. Consequently, this guide to Italian wine focuses just on the country's most prominent wines. I deal with each Italian wine region in turn, from the expensive and age-worthy wines of Barolo in the north, to the bargain glugging wines of the south. But first, a note on the Italian wine classifications.
The classification system for Italian wine mirrors that for French. Italian wines to be found in the UK are generally Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) or Denominazione di Origine Controllata et Garantita (DOCG). These levels correspond with the Appellation (d'Origine) Contrôlee wines of France, the DOCG wines supposedly with an extra degree of quality. The fairly recent qualification of Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) corresponds to France's Vin de Pays wines, whereas the lowest category for Italian wine, Vina da Tavola, accounts for the table wines. Unusually this latter category has in the past included some of Italy's top wines, as quality conscious wine makers were excluded from the DOC or DOCG categories because of the grapes or wine making practices they used. The Italian wine region where these latter two have been most concentrated is around Chianti in Tuscany, the wines frequently referred to as 'super-Tuscans'. The relaxation of the DOC and DOCG regulations in 1992, together with the creation of the IGT category, was intended to bring the winemakers behind these 'super-Tuscans' back into the fold. In general it hasn't worked.

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Read the rest of this article about Italian wines at The Wine Doctor, by Chris Kissack. This is one of the most comprehensive discussions of Italian wines I have come across in a while. The author breaks Italy into 3 sections...Northern, Central and Southern. Each has its own unique wines.
If you liked this article, you may enjoy reading the following about Italian wines...

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Want to Learn About Italian Wines From an Italian?

Susie back again,

I am of Italian descent but I really didn't know anything about Italian wines except for Chianti we used to drink at the local pizzaria. As most baby boomers, I have liked to broaden my horizons and learn about different cultures, wines and food. I found this "crash" course in Italian wines that helped me tremendously. Check it out and let me know if it helps you out when selecting Italian wines...

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Dr. Lovero's Crash Course on Italian Wine: Vini d'Italia

In 2008, the global wine industry's sales were $259.8 billion with a market consumption rate of 21.4 billion liters. Wine revenues generated in Italy were $41.3 billion with a market consumption rate of 2.9 billion liters. Italy is one of the world's largest and oldest producers of wine.
The population of Italy is 58.1 million. The GDP is $1,180.3 billion; the wine industry makes a significant contribution to the county's GDP. The global wine market is highly fragmented; the top three players control 8% of the total market by volume. The Italian market is even more fragmented since the top three players control only 0.4% of the total market share. The market share leaders in Italy are Bacardi-Martini and Davide Campari Milano. However, great wine families have been making wine for centuries like the Antinoris and the Frescobaldis.
Winemakers generally pursue vertically integrated business models that involve growing, harvesting, crushing, aging and bottling their wine. The end product is strongly influenced by the region of origin, the grape that is used in the process and the skill of the winemaker (Datamonitor, 2009).

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Read the rest of the article at Vino Con Vista. You will learn about the 20 elite Italian wine makers along with lots of other useful info.

A more in depth study of Italian wines comes from one of my favorite sources: Italian Made. Read on for more...

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Italian Wines

Italy's glowing reputation with wine is due not only to the fact that it produces and exports more than any other country but that it offers the greatest variety of types, ranging through nearly every color, flavor and style imaginable.

Italian producers have moved rapidly to the forefront of world enology, improving techniques to create wines of undeniable class in every region, north and south. Their wines derive not only from native vines, which represent an enormous array, but also from a complete range of international varieties.

In the past it was sometimes said that Italians kept their best wines to themselves while supplying foreign markets with tasty but anonymous vino in economy sized bottles. But markets have changed radically in recent times as consumers in many lands-most importantly in Italy itself-have insisted on better quality.

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The rest of this article and much more info can be found by clicking here on Italian Made.

Please let me know what you think about Italian wines and these articles by clicking on my Facebook page. Also, please share this article with your fellow baby boomers and wine loving friends.

Ciao,

Susie

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To read more about wine, food and anything Baby Boomers would be interested in, go to Susie's Baby Boomer Lifestyle. There is lots of information about various topics. For further articles, free ebooks, and other items of interest to "maturing" boomers, check out Susie's Baby Boomer Lifestyle Facebook page as well.