Understanding Italy: Abruzzo

Residing due south of Marche along the Adriatic Sea on the east coast of Italy is the wine region of Abruzzo.  Home to possibly the most fun grape name to pronounce: Montepulciano.  One more time, Mon-te-pul-ciano!  Just makes you want to talk with your hands as it rolls…

Understanding Italy: Marche

Le Marche, Italy.  Located on the central eastern coast of Italy, and home to Cesare Mondavi (Father of Robert and Peter), this is a region sadly somewhat overshadowed on a global stage by its neighbors Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Abruzzo, and Umbria, yet in no short supply of exceptional wines…

Understanding Italy: Super Tuscans

Super Tuscans are wines made in Tuscany, outside of the well known Chianti and lesser known Tuscan regions DOC guidelines.  In the 1970s winemakers wanted to experiment with blending Sangiovese (the main regional variety) with the noble grapes of Bordeaux (and in a few cases Syrah from the…

Understanding Italy: DOC, DOCG, IGT & VdT

European wine labels can be confusing if you don’t speak the language they are written in, furthermore they have all types of different classifications from one country to the next without consistent naming or labeling even existing within the same country itself, and to make things even more…