Italy has a dizzying variety of wines and wine growing regions--it is divided into 20 regions, each with its own grape varieties, winegrowing and winemaking traditions, and food specialties, all of which evolved over 2,500+ years (and continue to evolve today). That is the story of Italy’s 20 current political regions, from Piemonte to Puglia. I got it out of the library in preparation for our trip to the Piedmonte region, and took a couple of pictures of pages within--there was just too much information to absorb, and I would do the exact same thing the next time I go.
Anyone who loves Italian wine and food need some guidance in parsing this abundance, and this book is here to help. This is the first wine book in English to cover all of Italy since Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy, which, while excellent, was written two decades ago.
The book begins with short and engaging chapters on Italy’s wine and political history; geography, soils, and grapes; and Italian wine at the table. There’s also a useful guide to Italian wine law and labeling, including a decoding of the alphabet soup of appellation types (DOC/DOP/PDO, IGT/IGP/PGI, Vino da Tavola, etc.)
Then the heart of the book: 20 chapters covering each of Italy’s regions in turn, from Abruzzo to Veneto. Each chapter starts with a scene-setting vignette, along with a sketch of the kinds of wines the region is known for now. Next come a short vinous history, an introduction to the geography and wines grown in each subregion, and a description of the most significant grape varieties. Each chapter closes with a page listing regional foods and some of the authors’ recommended wine producers.
It is not a novel, it is a resource, and might be best gotten as an e-book so that you could have it in your back pocket as you travel the confusing wine regions of Italy.
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