Italian Red Wines

For starters, Italy has over 300 indigenous grape varieties, which lend huge complexity and variety to their red wines.

Italy also has diverse microclimates and terroir which adds to the wide range of Italian red wines you can find on your local wine shop’s shelves. Terroir plays an incredibly important part in wine production and can directly affect wine flavours.

For example, grapes grown in volcanic soil (such as Etna wines from Sicily) will be smoky, when grapes grown in a coastal region may be fresh and crisp with lively acidity.

Finally, Italians are famous for producing high-quality wines, often in small quantities. Attention to detail and centuries of practice have made Italy one of the most iconic wine-making regions in the world.

• Chianti (key-AHN-tee)

  Chianti is probably the most famous Sangiovese based red wine in the world. On the nose, typical scent include of violets and sour red cherries. The palate is fruity, dry with a balanced structure. “Classico’ denotes that the grapes have been grown in the historic, smaller production area. “Riserva” means the wine has been aged for at least 2 years. “Superiore” wines will have a minimum alcohol content of 12%.

• Nebbiolo (ne-bee-OH-low)

  Complex and elegant with notes of spices, red fruit and roses, Nebbiolo is used to make the iconic wines of Barolo and Barbaresco. Ranging from light to full-bodied, Nebbiolo is aromatic and perfumed with notes of rose petal, orange peel and clove.

• Aglianico (ah-lee-AHN-ee-coh)

  This is a red variety produced in Southern Italy, with the best examples coming from the volcanic areas of Campania and Basilicata. Intense, fruity, floral and spiced, this wine ages beautifully and pairs well with smoked meats and cheeses.

• Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (mon-teh-pool-chee-AH-no dah-BRUT-so)

  Medium-bodied Central Italian wine with moderate acidity and a soft palate. Produced in Abruzzo Montepulciano’s reputation was for fun, value-for-money wines but now is finally gaining recognition for its quality offerings.

• Nero D’avola (nair-oh davo-la)

  If you like Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah (Shiraz), you’ll love Nero D’Avola. Bold, fruity and tannic with notes of raspberry, liquorice, herbs and dried fruit. This is a distinctively dark grape (Nero means black in Italian).

• Amarone (ah-ma-ROH-neh)

  A prestigious wine from Valpolicella in Verona, notably made with a portion of dried grapes. Amarone has intense notes of dried fruit and spices and is rich, velvety and luxurious. The dried grapes lend Christmas cake spices and a viscous texture to the final wine.

• Lambrusco (lam-BROO-skoh)

  Sparkling red wine from Emilia-Romagna. Easy-drinking, unpretentious and versatile, Lambrusco ranges from dry to sweet and everything in between. Dry Lambrusco pairs beautifully with savoury starters, while sweeter Lambrusco can be great with desserts.

• North West

  This area includes the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria, and Valle D’Aosta. Piedmont is home to more than 44,000 hectares of vineyards, located on beautiful rolling hills.

  It’s normal to manually work the vines in this region and there tend to be low yields to enhance concentration and quality.

  This region produces famous red wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, and Dolcetto. Neighbouring Piedmont is Valle D’Aosta which has a much smaller wine production due to extreme climatic conditions thanks to its mountainous territories.

  The region produces a wide range of prestigious wines, including excellent examples of Gamay and Pinot Noir.

  Further South, the region of Liguria does not produce many red wines, due to its terroir being more suitable for whites. To the East, Lombardy offers a large array of microclimates due to its several lakes. This makes it a major area for red wine production.

• North East

  The North East of Italy stretches from Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige to Friuli Venezia Giulia. It has beautiful mountains and coastlines which are actually quite well suited to white wine production such as Soave Classico. However, there are some impressive red wines from the area too, like Amarone della Valpolicella from Veneto. You will also find smaller yet interesting local wines such as the Teroldego Rotaliano from Trentino Alto Adige.

• Central

  Central Italy is an expansive area that includes the regions of Emilia Romagna, Toscana, Umbria, Lazio, Marche, Molise, and Abruzzo. All of them produce several red and white wines but Tuscany is probably the most internationally recognised. Some of Tuscany’s most popular reds include Chianti, Brunello, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

  Further south is Umbria, a small region producing big reds such as Sagrantino di Montefalco. On Italy’s Eastern coastline, you will find Abruzzo. It has a long tradition of making value for money table wines with plenty of alcohol. More recently, the region has become known for quality-oriented wine production, gaining particular success with Montepulciano. Just below Abruzzo lies Molise. There, interesting red wines, such as Biferno, are produced. The small size of the region limits production, keeping wines from this region very local and exclusive.

• South & Islands

  Southern Italy and the Italian islands offer an abundance of choices. Red wines tend to be full-bodied and juicy thanks to the hot climate. Calabrese Ciro’, Primitivo from Puglia, or even Cannonau from Sardinia are the top examples. Many wines are incredibly strong, structured and ageworthy such as Aglianico from both Campania and Basilicata, whose wines are bold and elegant. Wines from Mount Etna in Sicily will impress many, with their smoky undertones.