Liguria is famous for everything except its wine. This narrow coastal strip in northwestern Italy, curling along the Ligurian Sea with Genoa as its capital, is the Italian Riviera the rest of the world already knows — Portofino’s harbor, the cliffside villages of the Cinque Terre, the postcard version of Italy that shows up on every travel wish list. It’s idyllic, and it knows it. Wine has never been the headliner here, and Liguria seems perfectly fine with that.
That low profile is partly a matter of scale. Liguria produces the second-smallest volume of wine among Italian regions, with no DOCG designations, eight DOCs, and four IGPs. No headline appellation, no marquee reputation — yet the wines being made here are quietly earning one. Chief among them: Vermentino, the grape that does more than any other to put Liguria on a serious drinker’s radar, with examples from the region’s best producers standing up to the finest Vermentino made anywhere in the world.
Vermentino and Pigato: Related, Not Interchangeable
Liguria’s wines run close to 70 percent white, and Vermentino is unquestionably king. Its biotype, Pigato, shares the throne but earns it on its own terms — and I’ll admit I was skeptical that the two deserved separate billing at all. It sounded like a marketing distinction dressed up as viticulture. Then I walked the hillside vineyards myself and tasted both wines from the same estate, side by side. That tasting made me a believer on the spot.
Pigato is a distinct variant of Vermentino, and the overwhelming majority of the world’s Pigato vines grow right here in Liguria, thriving on the region’s steep, terraced hillsides. In the vineyard, Pigato announces itself with darker skin pigmentation and a rough, textured berry. In the glass, it tends to show richer aromatics and more weight on the palate than Vermentino. Call them cousins rather than twins: more alike than different, but the differences are the point — and they’re differences you can taste, not just read about.
Bosco is the other white worth knowing, the backbone grape of the Cinque Terre DOC. These wines rarely travel — locals and the tourists who wander into the right trattoria drink most of what gets made — but they’re worth flagging down if you find yourself in one of those famous cliffside towns.
For something genuinely off the beaten path, seek out Ormeasco di Pornassio DOC. The wine is made primarily from Dolcetto, the grape more readily associated with Piedmont, grown here under a different name and a different sun. It’s an obscure corner of an already obscure wine region, and that’s exactly the appeal.
Rossese: Liguria’s Red Voice
Rossese is Liguria’s only local red grape of real note, and it makes wines with genuine character: floral on the nose, red fruit at the core, and a pleasing black pepper edge that keeps things interesting glass after glass. It won’t replace a serious Piedmont red in anyone’s cellar, but as a coastal red built for lighter fare and long lunches, it earns its keep.
The BevX Take on Liguria
Liguria isn’t a region to chase for volume or prestige — it’s a region to chase for the handful of bottles that reward the search. Start with a top-tier Vermentino, put a Pigato next to it to taste the difference for yourself, and keep an eye out for Rossese if red is more your speed. The Riviera will always get the postcards. The wine deserves the closer look even if it’s from a beach lounger in Cinque Terre.
Permitted grapes include:
White — Bosco, Vermentino, Pigato (a sub-variety of Vermentino)
Red — Dolcetto, Rossese
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Liguria Appellations
Cinque Terre – White and Sweet wines are made here primarily with Bosco.
Cinque Terre Sciacchetrà – White and Sweet wines are made here primarily with Bosco.
Colli di Luni – Red and White wines are made here.
Colline di Levanto – White and Red wines are made here.
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino – White, Red, Sparkling, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here.
IGP Colline del Genovesato – White, Red, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here.
IGP Colline Savonesi – White, Red, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here.
IGP Liguria di Levante – White, Red, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here.
IGP Terrazze dell’Imperiese – White, Red, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here.
Ormeasco di Pornassio – Red, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here primarily with Dolcetto.
Pornassio – Red, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here.
Portofino – White, Red, and Rosé wines are made here.
Riviera Ligure di Ponente – White, Red, and Sweet wines are made here.
Rossese di Dolceacqua – Red wines are made here primarily with Rossese.
Val Polcevera – White, Red, Sparkling, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here.
Do you want to better understand Italian wine? May we suggest Be A Beverage Expert (BABE), a guide to understanding wine, beer, spirits, and cocktails.