Guides to Italy’s Wine Regions

Northern Italy is a “must” for true wine lovers, encompassing some of Italy’s best and undoubtedly most famous wine regions—Piedmont, where you can enjoy VIP wine tastings at premium small Barolo and Barbaresco estates. Northern Italy includes the country’s two sparkling wine regions, Franciacorta; this picturesque wine region is a relative secret, virtually untouched by non-Italian tourists. Its famed bubbly is considered on par with the finest champagnes.

Further west, we explore Prosecco, the land of Palladian villas and gently rolling hills covered in vines and noble manors. The surrounding vineyards, mainly of the Prosecco grape, are used to make the notorious Italian bubbly!

Valpolicella shouldn’t be missed; it’s one of Italy’s loveliest wine regions and home to the famed Amarone wines. It is located just northwest of the historic city of Verona and east of Lake Garda. And let’s not forget the “Super Whites” of Friuli, stunning wines in the most splendid countryside, with uplifting landscapes of vineyards, medieval villages, and rolling green hills.

Southern Italy is a tourist magnet, especially Campania, with its fascinating capital, Naples, and nearby Pompeii. Interestingly, however, the region isn’t mainly well known for its wines, although the fertile volcanic soils have been appreciated since ancient times. Rightly so, some fantastic wines are being produced from ancient Greek varietals. The captivating island of Sicily, however, is very much on the map. It produces an extensive range of styles of wine, which accompany the divine local cuisine superbly.