Looking for a beginner's guide to the world of Italian wines? Trying to distill down Italy's wine regions, varietals, producers and vintages into a beginner's guide is like trying to thread a rope through a needle, but here goes...
From Sangiovese to Trebbiano and the wide viticultural variations that lie in between, navigating the wine shop shelves to find an Italian wine that will complement a Friday night lasagna can be a fun-filled experience - if you are armed with a little Italian wine knowledge.
While Italy has successfully planted the vast majority of the dominant international grape varietals, the country's domestic vines are what offer the true flavor characteristics that have made Italian wines world reknown for ages. With literally hundreds of wines produced in Italy annually, it is no wonder that selecting Italian wines can be a bit intimidating. Deciphering Italian wine terms and names, interpreting Italian wine labels , learning Italian wine classification systems, understanding regional grape growing zones , and discerning grape varietals that do not always fall into the "familiar" cagetory are all part of the Italian wine adventure.
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