See also:
4 Wine Tours by ombiasy coming up in 2015: Germany-East, Germany-South. Germany-Nord and Bordeaux
Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy, 2014
Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy, 2014
German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy, 2013
See also:
The Wines of Pio Cesare with Owner Cesare Benvenuto and the Food of Patrick Bazin at Bazin’s on Church in Northern Virginia, Italy/USA
Pio Boffa and the Wines of Pio Cesare, Piedmont, Italy
The best Italian wine guide is Gambero Rosso’s Vini d’Italia. Italy’s top winemakers and the top wines are awarded glasses, from 1 glass to 3 glasses - Tre Bicchieri.
This is the 28th edition of Vini d’Italia, which was first published in late 1987 in newsletter format with reviews of a limited number of wines. It has grown in size and coverage each year since then. The 2015 edition contains reviews of about 25,000 wines from approximately 2,400 wineries. It is 984 pages long and sells for 30 Euros. Gambero Rosso also publishes German, Chinese, English and Japanese translations of the Vini d’Italia.
See here for previous years:
Italy’s Top Wines and Winemakers - Gambero Rosso’s Vini d’Italia 2014
Italy’s Top Wines and Wine Makers – The 2013 Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia
Italy’s Top Wines and Wine Makers – The 2012 Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia
Italy's Top Wines - 2011 Gambero Rosso's Vini d'Italia Wine Guide
Italian Wine
Italy is home of some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Etruscans and Greek settlers produced wine in the country long before the Romans started developing their own vineyards. Two thousand years later, Italy is world leader in wine, accounting for about 20% of world wine production. Italians also lead the world in wine consumption by volume, 59 liters per capita, compared with 8 liters per capita in the US. Wine is grown in almost every region of the country.
Wine Regions
There is wine everywhere in Italy, from the Alps in the North to Sicilia in the South, clustered into 20 wine regions, which correspond to the 20 administrative regions. The about 30 DOCG wines are located in 13 different administrative regions but most of them are concentrated in Piedmont and Tuscany.
The Piedmont area of northwestern Italy is further divided into the two popular regions of Barbaresco and Barolo. The predominant grape there is the Nebbiolo. Northeastern Italy has the Veneto area. Soave and Valpolicella are two important regions that produce many local varieties. The large area in central Italy is Tuscany and is known for Chianti and Chianti Classico. The Sangiovese is the predominant red grape in Tuscany. In Italy’s South are Puglia and the island of Sicily. The Negroamaro grape is widely grown in this area.
See also:
Visiting Barone Francesco Ricasoli and his Castello di Brolio in Chianti Classico, Italy
Italy’s Grape Varieties
There are several hundreds of indigenous grape varieties in Italy. The following is a list of the most common and important ones.
Rosso
Sangiovese - Italy's claim to fame, the pride of Tuscany. It produces Chianti, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino.
Nebbiolo - The most noble of Italy's varietals. Nebbiolo is difficult to master, but produces the renowned Barolo and Barbaresco.
Montepulciano - The grape of this name is not to be confused with the Tuscan town of Montepulciano; it is most widely planted on the opposite coast in Abruzzo. Its wines develop silky plum-like fruit, friendly acidity, and light tannin.
Barbera - The most widely grown red wine grape of Piedmont and Southern Lombardy, most famously around the towns of Asti and Alba, and Pavia. Barbera wines were once considered as the lighter versions of Barolos. But this has changed. They are now sometimes aged in French barrique, intended for the international market.
Corvina - Along with the varietals Rondinella and Molinara, this is the principal grape which makes the famous wines of the Veneto: Valpolicella and Amarone.
Nero d'Avola - Nearly unheard of in the international market until recent years, this native varietal of Sicily is gaining attention for its plummy fruit and sweet tannins. The quality of Nero d'Avola has surged in recent years.
Dolcetto - A grape that grows alongside Barbera and Nebbiolo in Piedmont; a wine for everyday drinking.
See also:
Extraordinary Art and Wines at Castello di Ama in Chianti Classico, Italy
Bianco
Trebbiano - Behind Cataratto (which is made for industrial jug wine), this is the most widely planted white varietal in Italy. It is grown throughout the country, with a special focus on the wines from Abruzzo and from Lazio, including Frascati. Mostly easy drinking wines.
Moscato - Grown mainly in Piedmont, it is mainly used in the slightly-sparkling (frizzante), semi-sweet Moscato d'Asti.
Pinot Grigio - A hugely successful commercial grape, known as Pinot Gris in France and Grauburgunder in Germany. Produces crisp and clean wines. Typically mass-produced wine in Italy.
Arneis - A crisp and floral varietal from Piedmont, which has been grown there since the 15th century.
Garganega - The main grape varietal for wines labeled Soave, this is a crisp, dry white wine from the Veneto wine region.
See also:
Kobrand’s Impressive Tour d'Italia 2011 in Washington DC, USA
The 2015 Gambero Rosso Tre Bichieri Wines
423 wines got the top award of Tre Bichieri in the Gambero Rosso’s Vini d’Italia 2015. This compares with 415 wines in the 2014 Guide, 399 in the 2013 Guide and 375 wines in the 2012 Guide.
As in past years, there are considerable regional disparities in the distribution of award recipients. The top four regions (Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto and Alto Adige) account for a combined 212 awards, or slightly more than half the total number.
Wines from the Piedmont received the largest number of awards (79), with Barolo and Barbaresco wines dominating the list. As usual, the producers listed read like a who’s-who of Italian wines – Gaja, Vietti, Giacosa, Conterno, and Grasso, to name a few.
The second-highest number of award-winning wines were from Tuscany. 72 wines from Tuscany received Tre Bicchieri awards. 15 Brunello di Montalcino wines received Tre Bicchieri awards, the same number as in the previous year. The majority of award-winning Brunello wines are from the stellar 2007 vintage. Numerous Super-Tuscan wines received Tre Bicchieri awards, the majority of which are from the 2010 vintage.
The 2015 Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia Awards
Red Wine of the Year: Barolo Villero Ris. ’07 – Vietti
White Wine of the Year: Trebbiano d’Abruzzo V. Di Capestrano ’12 – Valle Reale
Sparkling wine of the year: Brut Cl. Nature – Monsupello
Sweet wine of the year: Vin Santo of Carmignano Ris. ’07 – Tenuta di Capezzana
Winery of the Year: Tenuta Sette Ponti
Best Value for Money Wine of the Year: Custoza Sup. Ca’ del Magro ’12 – Monte del Frà
Vinegrower of the Year: Giuseppe Gabbas
Up and Coming Winery of the Year: Tiare – Roberto Snidarcig
Award for Sustainable Vitculture and Winemaking: Barone Pizzini
schiller-wine: Related Postings
The Wines of the 2010 Giro d'Italia
Italian Natural Wines
The Ultra-premium Querciabella Wines and a Taste of Tuscany at Open Kitchen in Virginia, with Querciabella’s Giorgio Fragiacomo
Meeting Winemaker and Owner Massimo “Max” di Lenardo from Friuli, Italy and Tasting His di Lenardo Vineyards Wines
Kobrand’s Impressive Tour d'Italia 2011 in Washington DC, USA
Blogging, Wining and Dining at the European Wine Bloggers Conference (#EWBC) October 2011 in Brescia, Italy – A Tour D’ Horizont
Wining and Blogging in the Soave Region, Italy
Wining, Dining and Blogging in Chianti Classico (#EWBC), Tuscany, Italy
Dining and Wining where the Royals Eat: Dario Cecchini’s Solo Cicca Restaurant in Panzano– the Butcher of Chianti Classico
Meeting Wine Maker Paolo Cianferoni at his Caparsa Estate in Chianti Classico, Italy
Wining and Dining at Badia a Coltibuono in Tuscany with Wine Makers and Owners Roberto and Emanuela Stucchi Prinetti, Italy
Extraordinary Art and Wines at Castello di Ama in Chianti Classico, Italy
Tasting Wines where Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was Born – With Wine Maker and General Manager Francesco Nardi at Vignamaggio Estate in Chianti Classico, Italy
The Up and Coming Premium Sparklers of Franciacorta (#EWBC), Italy
The Premium Sparklers of il Mosnel, Franciacorta, Italy
Visiting Barone Francesco Ricasoli and his Castello di Brolio in Chianti Classico, Italy
Pio Boffa and the Wines of Pio Cesare, Piedmont, Italy
The Wines of Pio Cesare with Owner Cesare Benvenuto and the Food of Patrick Bazin at Bazin’s on Church in Northern Virginia, Italy/USA
The 1 Star Michelin Food of Chef Stefano Cerveni from the due colombe Ristorante and the Premium Sparklers of il Mosnel, Franciacorta - Wining and Dining at il Mosnel, Italy