Itinerary No. 2
wine is territory
Italian regions
Choosing where to start is always difficult, because each region has its own tradition - more or less ancient - of wine and vineyards. If we want to go on the safe side we can deepen those regions that are part of the collective imagination of enological Italy and that have been able to carve out an important role on the international level: Piedmont, Tuscany and Veneto.
But we would lie if we said that they are the only ones to deserve a visit, because all the others are not less in terms of production and quality. The heterogeneous characteristics of this country - both environmental and human - allow a choice of wines that is unequaled in other parts of the world.
Comparing regions
I do not know about you, but statistics have always fascinated me. Apparently they may seem cold numbers (and maybe even “bad”), but I am sure they hide a story that deserves attention, even when they may seem unfavorable.
Let us inspire - not influence - from these data and do not limit ourselves to treating them like a ranking, trying to find a winner and a loser. Each region - and in Italy there are 20 - has particular and unparalleled characteristics;
20 different situations, from the orography to the climate, from history to traditions, from man to politics, which tell us about the "Bel Paese". We start our journey.
Vinous landscapes
Vinous landscapes are a territory, an image, a starting point; they are a journey with the feet in the earth, between the rows of the hilly vineyards or the slopes devoted to the sun; they are an invisible thread that unites people, towns and traditions.
Regional statistics
Top vine varieties
Just take a look at these figures and everything seems clear: in Italy each region represents a world in itself, with its own viticultural and traditions heritage. Let's discover the most cultivated vine varieties.
Wine production
These wineshot, useful for understanding the productive orientation and the specificities present in each region, highlight a very varied and interesting picture. Analyzing the percentage subdivision between DOP - IGP - Generic wine, it is always good to remember that it does not determine the quality of the wine produced in a particular region, but only its adherence to precise production protocols.
These ones in fact make it possible to characterize the wine according to the particularities - human and environmental - present in the territory where it is produced, certainly not to define it more or less good. In the figures we will find the wines with Designation of Protected Origin DOP (DOCG and DOC according to Italian law), wines with Protected Geographical Indication IGP (IGT) and generic wines.
Vineyard area
In Italy, all regions has a vine vocation, even the small and mountainous Aosta Valley. The cultivation of grapes, however, is inhomogeneous, varying according to the orography, the climate and the productive vocation of the place.
There are regions - like Apulia - where the vineyards are almost present in every province, while there are other regions where their cultivation, even in large quantities, is concentrated in a few specific areas - such as Lombardy.
Red vs white
Red and white are probably the most used words talking about wine. These wineshot guide us through the oenological vocation of each region and how this is reflected in these two categories.
These statistics include rosé wine in the red wine category. In case of sparkling wines, often perceived as exclusively white, the distinction is similar: reds and rosés in the red wine category, whites in the white wine category.
Happy wine!
