Italian wine

Italian wine (Italian: vino italiano) is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine in the world, with an area of 702,000 hectares (1.73 million acres) under vineyard cultivation, as well as the world's largest wine producer and the largest exporter as of 2024. Contributing 49.8 million hl of wine in 2022, Italy accounted for over 19.3% of global production, ahead of France (17.7%) and Spain (13.8%); the following year, production decreased by 11.5 million hl, and Italy was surpassed by France. Italian wine is also popular domestically among Italians, who consume a yearly average of 46.8 litres per capita, ranking third in world wine consumption. The origins of vine-growing and winemaking in Italy has been illuminated by recent research, stretching back even before the Phoenician, Etruscans and Greek settlers, who produced wine in Italy before the Romans planted their own vineyards. The Romans greatly increased Italy's viticultural area using efficient viticultural and winemaking methods.

History

Vines have been cultivated from the wild Vitis vinifera grape for millennia in Italy. It was previously believed that viticulture had been introduced into Sicily and southern Italy by the Mycenaeans, as winemaking traditions are known to have already been established in Italy by the time the Phoenician and Greek colonists arrived on Italy's shores around 1000–800 BC. However, archeological discoveries on Monte Kronio in 2017 revealed that viticulture in Sicily flourished at least as far back as 4000 BC — some 3,000 years earlier than previously thought. Also on the peninsula, traces of Bronze Age and even Neolithic grapevine management and small-scale winemaking might suggest earlier origins than previously thought. Under ancient Rome large-scale, slave-run plantations sprang up in many coastal areas of Italy and spread to such an extent that, in AD 92, Emperor Domitian was forced to destroy a great number of vineyards in order to free up fertile land for food production.

During this time, viticulture outside of Italy was prohibited under Roman law. Exports to the provinces were reciprocated in exchange for more slaves, especially from Gaul. Trade was intense with Gaul, according to Pliny, because the inhabitants tended to drink Italian wine unmixed and without restraint. Although unpalatable to adults, it was customary, at the time, for young people to drink wine mixed with a good proportion of water. As the laws on provincial viticulture were relaxed, vast vineyards began to flourish in the rest of Europe, especially Gaul (present-day France) and Hispania. This coincided with the cultivation of new vines, such as biturica, an ancestor of the Cabernets. These vineyards became so successful that Italy ultimately became an import centre for provincial wines. Depending on the vintage, modern Italy is the world's largest or second-largest wine producer. In 2005, production was about 20% of the global total, second only to France, which produced 26%. In the same year, Italy's share in dollar value of table wine imports into the U.S. was 32%, Australia's was 24%, and France's was 20%. Along with Australia, Italy's market share has rapidly increased in recent years.

Italian appellation system

In 1963, the first official Italian system of classification of wines was launched. Since then, several modifications and additions to the legislation have been made, including a major modification in 1992. The last modification, which occurred in 2010, established four basic categories which are consistent with the latest European Union wine regulations (2008–09). The Italian Ministry of Agriculture (MIPAAF) regularly publishes updates to the official classification. The categories, from the bottom to the top level, are:

Vini da tavola ("table wines"). At the lowest level are table wines (VdT). VdT wines are mandatory to include on the label the production batch, the volume of the container, the bottler's data, the place of bottling and vinification (if different places take place), the alcohol content, the gasification (if existing), the phrase "contains sulphites" only if the threshold of 10 mg/L of sulfur dioxide is exceeded. The specification of the color is optional, while the mention of the grape variety is not foreseen. Vini IGT ("typical geographical indication wines"). IGT wines comply with European Community regulation Nr.823 of 1987. Indication of the grape variety, production year and production area are optional. Vini DOC ("controlled designation of origin wines"). In addition to what is foreseen for IGT wines, the labels of DOC wines must specify the production areas more precisely. These wines cannot be produced with grapes intended for IGT wines, and must necessarily be subjected to chemical-physical and organoleptic analyzes during the production phase. The DOC recognition is exclusively reserved for wines produced in areas recognized as IGT for at least five years. The sub-areas where they are produced can optionally be mentioned on the label. On the label it is possible to mention further characteristics of the wine (e.g. classic, superior). The year of production must be mentioned on the label. Vini DOCG ("controlled and guaranteed designation of origin wines"). DOCG wines are subject to more restrictive regulations than those of DOC wines. The DOCG denomination is applied only to wines that have been recognized as DOC for at least seven years and are of particular quality. During bottling, chemical-physical and organoleptic analysis is mandatory, batch by batch, and the individual bottles are marked with a control band placed in such a way as to be damaged when the bottle is opened.

Geographical characteristics

Important wine-relevant geographic characteristics of Italy include:

The extensive latitudinal range of the country permits wine growing from the Alps in the north to almost-within-sight of Africa in the south. The fact that Italy is a peninsula with a long shoreline contributes to moderating climate effects to coastal wine regions. Italy's mountainous and hilly terrain provides a variety of altitudes and climate and soil conditions for grape growing.

Italian wine areas The main wine production areas in Italy, with the wine-growing areas, the main vines (the native ones in italics) and the main wines produced:

Italian grape varieties

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