Italian Red Wine
Italian Red Wine
is produced from many different red wine grapes that are indigenous to the area. Italy is the largest wine producing country in the world. Italian wines have never been better and are becoming increasingly popular and available in the United States. Due to the fact there are so many different Italian wines they tend to be the least understood European wine.
Italian red wine is produced from hundreds of different
reg grape varieties.
The most notable of the abundant red wine grapes in this region is the
Sangiovese
and the Nebbiolo.
Italian Red Wine Regions:
Piedmont - located in Northwest Italy it is known best for its big
tannic reds
of Barolo and Barbaresco. The popular wines from this region are the perfect wines for collectors as they require additional
aging
to soften their tannins and exhibit their best qualities. Lighter more fruit forward wines made from the Dolcetto grape are also famous in this area. In terms of acreage, the Peidmont area accounts for 9 of the 35 Italian wine producing appelations.
Northeast Italy:
This area of Italy is so mountainous that it can only grow grapes on 15% of its land. The popular red grapes in this region are the Amarone, Valpolicella and the Bardolino. The Amarone is considered one of Italy's best red wine. It can produce a
full-bodied
wine with 14-16% alcohol content with a slight bit of sweetness to the final product.
Central Italy:
Tuscany - bordering the Mediterranean sea, Tuscany is the 5th largest of Italy's twenty wine regions. The
Sangiovese
vine is the main grape vine of this area. Chianti is a blend of several grapes with Sangiovese making up at least 75% of the final blended wine. These wines are dry, crisp with cherry, blackberry and spice flavors. This is much variation in the final wine depending on the grapes blended and the amount of oak aging. Cabernet Sauvignon is often blended to give the wine even more intensity and richness.
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