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Wine Regions
Wine Grape Varietals
Terrior
Wine Bottle Labels
100
This is the backbone of the wine and gives firmness and definition in the mouthfeel. Whites wines with a good amount of this are austere and crisp.
What is acidity?
100
Florence, Siena, Michelangelo's David, the leaving tower of Pisa...this beautiful wine region has more than her share of attractions. Only one wine could possible compare in fame - and that, too, comes from here: Chianti.
What is Tuscany?
100
Also known as Pinot Gris, but in Italy this northeastern wine region Friuli-Venezia Giulia produces crips dry wines.
What is Pinot Grigio?
100
This is a tannic red grape variety, found mostly in Italy and is named for the thick fog that covers the hills during the grapes' late fall harvest. This grape is used to make a Barolo.
What is Nebbiolo?
100
This indicates a sweet or dessert wine.
What is Dolce?
200
Describing the taste of the wine in your mouth is the whole trick. Right there, on the tip of your tongue, as soon as you put the wine in your mouth, you notice this taste or the lack thereof.
What is sweetness?
200
Barolos, Truffels, d'Asti...OH MY Barolos, Truffels, d'Asti...OH MY
What is Piedmont?
200
In the height of the Florentine Medici family, while they were counting their money and sipping ruby red glass of wine, this grape varietal dominates the Toscana wine region still today.
What is Sangiovese?
200
Bordering France and Switzerland, this wine region's terrior is part Alpine, Langhe Hills, and surrounding towns of Asti.
What is Piedmont?
200
This is a delightful Italian word indicating lightly sparkling or fizzy?
What is Frizzante?
300
This grape grows all over Italy and because of this you’ll notice these wines vary widely from one region to the next. In Tuscany, you can find these wines with very earthy tasting notes of black cherry and bold tannins. In Southern Italy, around Campania, you can find lighter style wines tasting of strawberries and roses with medium tannins.
What is Sangiovese?
300
The most appreciated wines in this region come from the provinces of Treviso, Verona, Padova, Venice, and Vicenza. The area around Verona, with its temperate climate and hilly surrounding, is believed to have cultivated grapes since the Bronze Age.
What is Veneto?
300
This is the most important red wine grape in Sicily.
What is Nero d'Avola?
300
This wine region's ashy terrior contributes to the 79AD volcanic eruption of Pompeii.
What is Campania?
300
This is an ordinary table wine that carry no geographical indications except "Italy".
What is Vino di Tavola?
400
This wine is the most produced Italian red wine of Piedmont. Over 60% of these vineyards exist in the region. This wine almost always has a unique note of licorice in the taste, which is what makes it so unique. While the American style can be quite fruit-forward, this Italian style is often herbaceous with juicy acidity and tart black cherry flavors.
What is Barbera?
400
This wine region reaches from the eastern slopes of the Apennines to the Adriatic Sea. Mostly hilly or mountainous except for a narrow coastal strip, the region is drained by the Metauro, Potenza, Tronto, and Nera rivers. The main regional white is the excellent Verdicchio. This region also shares the name of American writer, Louisa May Alcott's, "Little Women".
What is Marches?
400
These three grape varietals make up a Super Tuscan.
What is Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot?
400
This wine region's terrior is influenced by the coastal areas that are warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. There are similarities and differences between the areas, influenced by rolling hills, fertile soil, and Mediterranean climate.
What is Tuscany?
400
These are a small group of elite wines, which only this phrase appears on the wine bottle label of these wines. Note that not all of Italy’s regions produce wines with this status.
What are DOCG wines (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita)?
500
This wine is actually a Croatian grape called Tribidrag and Negroamaro grows alongside it in Southern Italy. These sweet tasting fruity and lighter bodied Italian wines often exhibit strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and leather notes. It provides the fruity punch and Negroamaro has more dark fruit flavors and structure. It’s common to find them blended together.
What is Primitivo / Zinfandel?
500
This wine region is nestled in the Northwest of Italy, situated just below Switzerland, and located around Milano. It is renowned for its sparkling wines.
What is Lombardia?
500
Gavi comes from the Piedmont area of Italy, and is made primarily with this grape varietal.
What is Cortese?
500
Many of this wine region's volcanic vineyards are enclosed by beds of lava deposits that have been formed from centuries of volcanic flows. Soils are primarily thin and rich in pomace and clay; some sites are almost entirely composed of volcanic rock. According to 14th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri's "Divine Inferno", purgatory "The Gateway to Hell", this wine region has volcanic ash imbued in its terrior.
What is Mount Etna?
500
There are just two legal requirements for Italian wine labels that are to be listed.
What is Producer (winery) and what is regional designation?