Five Grapes Behind Italian Red Wines

Italy is known for some of the world’s best red wines. The quality, elegance and variety of Italian red wine make it a perfect companion to their varied and flavourful cuisine. Italy’s diverse wine-growing regions make it the picture-perfect location to yield the best grapes.

 

Piedmont, located in northern Italy, is home to the Barbera grape known for its robust and dark color and high acidity. The foggy fall weather in Piedmont is what gives our next grape its name.

Our recommendation: Barbera d'Alba DOC Superiore "La Preda" from Barale Fratelli.

 

The Nebbiolo grape, commonly cultivated in North-West Italy (Piedmont and Lombardy), produces lively, complex and vivacious wines, most famously in Barolo.

Our recommendation: Barolo DOCG "Bussia" from Barale Fratelli.

 

In the central region of Abruzzo, we find another Italian classic: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. This red wine is high in alcohol, acidity and tannin, with blackberry and black cherry fruit flavours.

Our recommendation: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOCG "Luì" from Tenuta Terraviva.

 

Moving along to Italy’s southwest, in Apulia, we find the Primitivo grape, a powerful, tannic, long-lived wine with a savoury, fruity character.

Our recommendation: Primitivo DOCG "Dionysos" from De Quarto.

 

Finally, we head south to sunny Sicily where we will find the Nero d’Avola grape, which can be made into an easy drinking wine with plummy red fruit flavours, or can conjure up a more complex wine (often aged in oak) that provide darker berry flavors and chocolate fragrances.

Our recommendation: Nero d'Avola DOC "Respiro" from Valdibella.

 

 

 

Source: https://www.vintageroots.co.uk/five-grapes-behind-italian-red-wines/

Image credits: Andrea Cairone.