In October of each year, we feature the wines from Italy. Each month, we share both new and archived stories on Italian wine regions, varietals, and unique styles. We are seriosu about our Italian Wine Coverage!
We are certain that many readers have noticed that we tend to cover wines, grapes, and regions that are off the well-beaten path of the typical Italian wine commentary. For example, we have offered very little coverage of Italy’s “Killer Bs” — Brunello, Barolo, and Barbaresco. Of course, we love these wines and cellaring them, drinking them, and sharing them with friends.
There is much written about Italy’s elite wines, particularly those from Tuscany and Piedmont. We take a different approach, focusing instead on the wines that often live in the shadows of wine punditry. After all, Italy is a nation still driven by its Twenty Italian Wine Regions (don’t miss this unmatched resource), each with its own wines, cuisine, and distinct heritage. Therefore, we celebrate
The Unparalleled Joy and Whimsy of Italian Wine
If I were forced to drink wines from just one nation for the rest of my days, I would, without hesitation, choose the wines of Italy. Luckily, I don’t have to make such a choice, but if I were forced, the decision would be an easy one. The wines of Italy are incredibly diverse in…
Get Fluent with Native Italian Wine Grapes
We have said this before on the pages of BevX, but it’s worth repeating — If we had to restrict ourselves to the wines of just one nation, it would be Italy. Why? For starters, Italy has more wine varietals than all other wine-producing nations combined. Variety is the spice of life. We choose variety…
Prosecco — Beyond the Spritz: A Real Guide to Prosecco
I have watched Prosecco pull off one of the great disappearing acts in modern wine: it became the most consumed sparkling wine on earth without most drinkers ever learning to pronounce Valdobbiadene. (By the way, Valdobbiadene’s six syllables are pronounced vahl-dohb-BEE-ah-deh-neh.) That is not an accident. Prosecco was built for approachability from the ground up…
Franciacorta — Italy’s Remarkable Bubbly
Franciacorta is a premium Italian sparkling wine appellation in the Lombardia region, located west of Milan. It is produced using the traditional method — metodo classico — with secondary fermentation in the bottle. It is sometimes called the Champagne of Italy, but that’s a lazy moniker. The production method is the same, and the grape…
Casauria, Italy’s Latest Promising DOCG in Abruzzo
The Casauria subzone of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC has been officially recognized as Casauria DOCG. The designation was made in November 2025, and it may be used by producers in the zone this coming harvest (2026), which means that the first wines will be available to consumers in 2028. Casauria is named after the Abbey of…
Ciliegiolo — Is this Italy’s Best-Kept Secret?
Italy has so many native grape varieties that you could work through one a day for an entire year and still have hundreds left to discover. That is not a marketing claim — it is a statistical fact, and one of the reasons I find Italian wine endlessly fascinating. Within that staggering catalog, Ciliegiolo stands…
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo — The Best Rosé You’re Probably Not Drinking
Despite Rosé now properly being mainstream with the number of choices growing every spring there is scandalously still a Rosé living in obscurity – Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo….
Umbria’s Rare, Fierce, and Delicious Sagrantino Wines
If many wine publications are to be believed, Sagrantino is “probably Italy’s most tannic red wine.” This is a heavy burden for any varietal to bear. We find Sagrantino to be one of Italy’s most nuanced, while undeniably intense, wine grapes with chewy but well-polished tannins and gorgeous red and black fruit flavors. Sagrantino, like…
Unsung Italian Wine Varietals
I suppose we have made progress since we have to dig a bit deeper to uncover the unsung varietals of Italy. Not long ago, many grapes that now enjoy minor-celebrity status, like Aglianico, Arneis, Cortese, Falanghina, or Verdicchio, were virtually unknown. If you want to learn about these and more Italian Wine Varietals, read –…
Appreciating Montepulciano in Abruzzo and Beyond
Montepulciano is a workhorse kind of grape, creating wines as a solo performer and in red blends. It also makes a damn fine rosé. If Montepulciano is known at all, it is most frequently associated with its starring role in Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. This is easily understood as nearly half of the Montepulciano grown in Italy…
The Lovely and Unheralded Wines from Offida
Offida is a modest commune in the southwest portion of the Marche region of Italy centered around the town of the same name. Offida is home to fewer than 6,000 residents and roughly 463 hectares (1,144 acres) of vines that comprise the Offida DOCG. The entire appellation produces less than 200,000 cases a year and…
Charming, Ancient, and Incomparable White Wines from Campania
When the days are warm to hot, and the sunsets linger longer, nothing refreshes like Campania’s (Italy) quartet of ancient white grapes: Coda di Volpe, Falanghina, Fiano, and Greco. Something special is happening in Campania. These lovely white varieties are found in wines produced throughout the region, sometimes in white blends and frequently as single…
Cesanese – we should be drinking this
When in Rome… It’s much more than a cliché; it’s actually damn good advice when you find yourself anywhere outside of your normal. When I’m in Rome I adjust as much as possible (not much of a chore). I skip the morning tea ritual in favor of a cappuccino, I indulge in a morning or…
Raid the Cellar – Brunello di Montalcino
Occasionally I like to have a structured tasting with a purpose — of older vintage that have been slumbering in the cellar. I wanted to share this recent “raiding of the cellar” as an example of the joys that can come with the patient act of cellaring wine. True, most of the wine made around the…
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.