Pinot Grigio

Italy produces some of the finest wines in the world, but not all of its red or white exports are favoured by connoisseurs, which is why it is worth identifying the country’s top wine-producing regions.

The wine regions of Italy can be categorised geographically. The north-west is home to Piedmont and Lombardy, while Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia can be found in the north-east. Central Italy boasts five top wine regions, including Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Marche, Umbria and Lazio.

Another five wine-producing areas are located in the south, where Abruzzo, Molise, Puglia, Campania and Sicily provide a rich variety of wines for various markets. The question is, however, which are the best wine-producing regions in Italy?

Visitors to Italy are unlikely to pass up an opportunity to visit Lazio, one of the country’s greatest cities. Also known as Latium, the city’s environs include one of the finest wine-producing areas in the whole country.

Lazio produces several fine white wines. Marino, Est! Est!! Est!!! is among the most popular, while Colli Albani is a favourite of many people in the area. Frascati, the region’s most famous wine, is commonly referred to as the “wine of the popes and the people”, hinting at its exquisite yet by no means overwhelming flavour.

The southern region of Abruzzo was awarded a gold medal at the 2007 International Wine Challenge, in no small part due to the success of Canaletto Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, a full-bodied red sold at a relatively low cost all over the world.

Visitors to this delightful corner of Italy might also wish to sample the region’s top white-grape offering. Gran Sasso Pecorino Terre di Chieti is a pleasantly strong wine with a zesty flavour. Pecorino is commonly served with pasta and seafood dishes.

Another popular wine-producing region in the south of Italy, Campania stands out from its neighbours with its selection of potent reds and whites. Lacking the freshness of Pecorino, wines produced in Campania have a distinctively strong taste and texture, making them something of an acquired taste.

Lombardy is on of the few places outside the Champagne-producing regions of France that can offer such refreshing sparkling whites. Bellavista Franciacorta Cuvée is among the finest whites produced in this area, offering connoisseurs a light, uplifting and surprisingly peachy wine for all occasions.

Lombardy also produces a selection of high-quality reds, but most visitors to the area go in search of a little taste of France. Things to do in Lombardy include taking a trip to Guido Berlucchi, one of the biggest and most accommodating wineries for visitors in Italy.

Home to Castello Banfi, a top Italian vintner, Tuscany is renowned for producing some of the country’s finest wines. San Angelo Toscana Pinot Grigio, a crisp white unique to the region, is arguably as good as any other wine produced in Italy.

Castello Banfi also produces an excellent Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, while wine merchants such as Montalcino and Sant’Angelo Scalo are leading providers of Chianti and other top Italian wines.

No holiday in Italy would be complete without a trip to Emilia-Romagna, home to a distinctive range of grape varieties including Trebbiano, Ortrugo, Malvasia and Albana (white) and Bonarda, Barbera and Sangiovese (red).

Cantine Romagnoli is one of the fullest and tastiest wines to emerge from Emilia-Romagna in recent times, while Lambrusco is the region’s most treasured asset, selling more than 50-million bottles worldwide every year.

Those on holidays in the north of Italy ought to spare a little time to visit the Piedmont, which produces a range of rich, unique red wines. Visitors to this interesting wine-producing region can also journey across the border into France.

The Piedmont is home to Renato Ratti Cantina, a charming vineyard set against the backdrop of a 600-year-old abbey. The majority of red wines produced in the north of Italy originate from the Piedmont.