Italy's Wine History
Italy is credited to be the oldest global wine-producing region and Italian wines are reknown for their broad variety. Italy is also the world’s largest wine producer, followed closely by France. Italy's wine volume is about a third of the world's annual wine production. Italian wines are exported globally and grapes are grown in most regions of Italy. Italian vineyards offer a wide variety of wines, from Sparkling Asti Spumante whites to robust Montepulciano reds.
Italy estimates upwards of ONE MILLION vineyards under cultivation. Etruscan & Greek settlers produced Italian wine well before Romans began in the 2nd century B.C. The Romans commercialized wine production and started extensive production and storage methods (like barrel-making and bottling) that formed modern winemaking as we now know it.
Italy's Wine Regions
Italy's twenty wine regions correspond to its twenty administrative regions. The cuisines of each region are influenced by and reflect their indigenous wines, and vice versa. Notable wines that lately are gaining much attention in the international markets and among specialists include new wines from the Central and Southern regions of Italy, which are quickly gaining recognition around the world.
For example, special sweet wines like Moscatos, made in different regions, are famous since old times, but are experiencing a renaissance today.
The Abruzzo Region
Abruzzo (also known as Abruzzi) is an Italian wine region located in the eastern mountainous areas of central Italy that runs along the Adriatic Sea. The rugged terrain of the mountains of the region served multiple purposes, including: (1) isolating the region from the winemaking influence of the ancient Romans and Estruscans, and (2) tempering the influence on the region's climate by blocking many storms approaching from western Italy.
Today, an estimated 42 million cases of wine are produced annually here, making it the fifth most productive region in Italy. The most notable wine of the region is Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, produced from the Montepulciano grape.
