Italy
Italian wine originated with the first Greek settlers who planted vines in Italy, calling it Oenotria, the land of the vines. The boot of Italy has thus been home to vines since pre-Roman times, from the 9th century BC. Italian viticulture has seen both periods of prosperity (the 19th century and the recognition of its appellations, the post-Second World War period and the restructuring of its vineyards), and more sombre periods (phylloxera and the early 20th century), however, Italy is today the largest wine-producing country in the world and the leading country for wine exports. As for appellations, there are 350 DOC and DOCG (Italy’s equivalents of the PDO or AOP, standing for denominazione di origine controllata and denominazione di origine controllata e garantita). Italy is also known for growing hundreds of different grape varieties, the most widely planted of which are Sangiovese, Glera, Pinot Grigio, Montepulciano and Trebbiano Toscano. There are a number of wine regions, such as Trentino, Piedmont (home to Barbaresco, Barolo, Dolcetto and Barbera d'Alba), Tuscany (home to Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and the famous Super Tuscans), and Southern Italy (home to the wines of Sicily, Basilicata, and so on). And then, of course, there are the names that all Italian wine lovers dream of, like Sassicaia (Tenuta San Guido), Bruno Giacosa, Giacomo Conterno, Soldera Case Basse (Gianfranco Soldera), Roagna, Tenuta Dell’Ornellaia (Frescobaldi), Solaia and Angelo Gaja. You can find these icons on iDealwine, as well as a fine selection of wines at pleasing prices under €25.
