Italy has overtaken France in the wine-producing business and exports its’ fine wine worldwide. There are over one million vineyards in Italy and many farmers not only produce wine for export, but also for their own consumption.
We normally associate the Chianti region of Tuscany when we think of Italian wine, however although not noted for its wines, northern Italy does have a few good labels such as; Grumello (red), Asti Spumante (sparkling), Moscato (white), and Soave (dry white) which are just a few of the wines from this area of Italy.
Wine was first introduced into Sicily and Southern Italy by Greek settlers and then flourished by the 2nd century BC when the Romans improved on the wine-making technology and cultivation techniques and wine was produced on a large-scale bottled and stored.
The label will specify the quality of the wine:
- DS (Denominazione Semplice) – no quality standard
- DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) – wines meet the defined standards and come from officially recognized areas.
- DCG (Denominazione Controllata e Garanzia) – are wines of the highest standard.
