Italian Wines - The Best Wines from Italy

Best of Wines: Specialist in exclusive Italian wines

At Best of Wines, you have come to the right place if you are looking for exclusive Italian wines. Best of Wines has a very large stock of these wines from Italy, especially wines from Tuscany and wines from Piemonte. These are without a doubt the two most renowned wine regions in the country. The villages and production areas of Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Montalcino, Chianti and Bolgheri are famous worldwide for their wines. But Veneto with its Amarone della Valpolicella wines should definitely not be missing from this list either.

Wineries such as Antinori, which produces the superb price-quality wine Tignanello, the high scoring Solaia (100 Parker points in 2015 and 2016) and the magnificient white Cervaro della Sala are examples of what Italian wines can offer. And of course the Super Tuscans like Sassicaia from Tenuta San Guido with its legendary 1985 and Masseto with its 100% merlot wines. In Piemonte the barolo Monfortino from Giacomo Conterno can age for 50 years or more and still improves in quality. And Gaja with its extended portfolio of Barbaresco wines and world famous Barolo Sperss. These domaines are just a selection of the high standard of Italian wines.

Tuscany

Wines from Tuscany have a worldwide reputation. Producers like

• Antinori. A world famous Italian enterprise from Tuscany and one of the oldest family-owned wine companies in the world.
• Ornellaia. This estate quickly rose to the top of the so-called “Super Tuscans” wines.
• Tenuta San Guido. Sassicaia was the first Italian wine to experiment with Bordeaux style wine making.
  
• Le Macchiole. Le Macchiole is the winery that first had the courage to release 100% Cabernet Franc from Tuscany.

are known for making some of the best wines worldwide.

Wines from Tuscany are mainly red wines. Most wines are made from the sangiovese grape, but there are also Italian red wines from Tuscany produced that are not made from the sangiovese grape. In that case, Bordeaux wine or Rhône wine varieties are used. Some of these wines are high quality wines and are highly sought after, the so called Super Tuscans. 

Check all Tuscan wines on the Tuscany wines page.

Piemonte

Piemonte is known for its Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera wines. In almost every higher end wineshop or restaurant you will have to opportunity to buy or drink these wines. These wines are world class. 

There are dozens of high quality winemakers in Piemonte and several have a worldwide recognition, like

• Giacomo Conterno. Conterno was one of the first producers to deliberately let the Barolos ferment for a long time and let them mature in large wooden barrels. 
• Gaja. Gaja produces over 40 different red and white wines, including Grappa (Eau de Vie).
• Roberto Voerzio. Despite for its relatively short period of operations, Roberto Voerzio is one of the most regarded wine producers in Piemonte.
• Ceretto. The family's dedication to sustainability is reflected in the fact that all wines obtained organic certification in the EU in 2015, and many of its vineyards are farmed biodynamically

The Barolo and |Barbaresco wines are the most famous wines from Piemonte, but also Barbera wines may not be underestimated. You can find all our Piemonte wines on our Piemonte page.

Italian red wine

Italian red wine can be made from numerous different grape varieties. Italy has a very diverse planting with many different grape varieties. The most common and well-known grape varieties are sangiovese, nebbiolo, primitivo, cabernet sauvignon and montepulciano.

The wineries below are some of the top Italian red wine producers:

• Biondi Santi. Biondi Santi represents a wide range of delicious red wines, such as the gorgeous and aromatic Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva.
• Soldera. Known for its beautiful Brunello, but unfortuntaly also for its loss of 6 vintages, because of vandalism.
• Bruno Giacosa. Bruno Giacosa is considered one of the legendary winemakers of the world, having crafted the most prestigious single-vineyard Barolo and Barbaresco wines during his career spanning nearly eight decades. 
• Burlotto. Fabio Alessandria is highly regarded for his wines and continues the distinguished family history that dates back to the 1800s,
• Miani. Probably Italy's finest white winemaker, with its minerally and pure wines.

Of course, this changes with time, but the aforementioned wineries have shown for decades that they belong to the absolute top.

Italian white wine

White Italian wine is made from a variety of grape varieties. Italy has many indigenous grape varieties, but international grape varieties are also very popular. Chardonnay, garganega, trebbiano, sauvignon blanc and vermentino are the most commonly used white grape varieties.

The following Italian wineries are considered exemplary when it comes to white Italian wines:

• Miani. Probably Italy's finest white winemaker, with its minerally and pure wines.
• Cantina Terlano. The winery, founded in 1893, is a leading cooperative of wine growers in South Tyrol (translated in Italian as Alto Adige), with 143 members working 190 hectares of land producing approximately 1.5 million bottles of wine annually. 
• Gravner. Especially known for its use of Amphora for maturing wines, to reflect the ancient way of winemaking.
• Vie di Romans. Gianfranco Gallo was one of the first to recognize the potential of the terroir in Friuli. He produced his very first vintage in 1978.

 This list can be expanded considerably, but the above list is a good impression.

The classifications of Italian wines

In Italy, wine is divided into four categories:

• Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG). The highest qualification for wines from Italy. This is subject to the strictest requirements.

• Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC). The requirements for these wines are slightly less stringent than for DOCG.

• Vino di Tavola. Similar to the French hallmark Vin de Table.

• Indicazione geografica tipica (IGT). In some regions in Italy, especially Tuscany, wonderful results were achieved in the 1970s, 80s and 90s with grape varieties and techniques that did not comply with prescribed rules. Examples include the Super Tuscans (including Masseto, Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Solaia). As some producers found the regulations too rigid and thus did not want to comply with them, their wines were therefore not labelled DOC(G) but Vino di Tavola. As these wines were of a very high standard, often with a clearly defined area of origin, this new category was added. Thus, these wines can be distinguished from the numerous simple and cheap table wines.

• Piemonte is the only region in the country that has no IGT wines. Each wine has a DOC or DOCG status. IGT, DOC and DOCG are part of the quality classification, also known as designation of origin. There are rules and requirements attached to each classification that must be met in order to use that label. DOC stands for a protected geographical indication and DOCG indicates that the provenance is both protected and guaranteed. The latter is therefore the highest quality category.

Italian grape varities

Italy; the country that, together with Portugal, has the most diverse plantings when it comes to different grape varieties. Worldwide, almost 10,000 different grape varieties are known, of which Italy has more than 500.

The most popular wines are made from the Nebbiolo and the Sangiovese grape. But wines from Barbera, Dolcetto, Malvasia, Montepulciano, Moscatio, Pinot Grigio, Primitivo, Vermentino and even Chardonnay are also well sought after.

Italian wine and food pairing

To complete a culinary evening, it is of course important that the wines and the dishes match. A combination can match or complement each other. The wine and the dish should never overrule each other.

Often the saying what grows together, goes together goes well. Truffle and Barolo are a match made in heaven for a reason. A truffle pasta and a good glass of Barolo together make a winning duo.

What also goes well together is Amarone della Valpolicella with Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan cheese). The spicy and salty flavour of this hard cheese goes well with the full-bodied character of this wine.

White Italian wines, for example made from vermentino or chardonnay, go well with fresh fish, among other things. It depends on the sauce and garnish whether you go for a wood-aged white wine or a fresh wine.

White fish with butter sauce? Then go for the full-bodied white wine. Instead, is it a fresh and spicy dish with smoked salmon? Then opt for a sauvignon blanc.

In short, there are endless combinations. That is why we at Best of Wines are happy to give wine-food advice on our wines.

We have tasted almost all the wines and therefore know how to give appropriate advice.