OTHER DESTINATIONS
Maybe Champagne or Burgundy is not one of your preferences – or maybe it is – but you just want to try the lovely Italian wines – well this is also possible with us.
PIEDMONT
Piedmont lies at the foot of the Alps in north-western Italy. Piedmont’s wines are some of Italy’s best and they are famous the world over. The first sources that mention wine in the area are from Roman times. Since then, Piedmont’s wines have continued to improve vastly and, today, the region produces excellent examples of Italian wine.
TUSCANY
Tuscany is a region in the northern part of central Italy, bordering on Lazio to the south, Umbria to the east, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria to the north and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. The region is generally considered Italy’s most beautiful.
After the Chianti formula was turned into wine in the mid-1800s, the wine became a huge success. In 1932, seven sub-zones were defined for the Chianti region, each with its own style. Things then went downhill for Chianti wine. First, like the rest of Europe, the fields were ravaged by phylloxera. Then came World War II.
Following these challenges, Chianti changed its product, focusing on quantity rather than quality.
SICILY
The Sicilians call their country the world’s seventh largest ‘wine country’, although the region is not actually a country. But it’s true that the province of Trapani still produces more wine today than the two wine regions, Piedmont and Tuscany, together.
Sicily is not one of the most well-known or popular Italian wine regions. This is primarily due to the fact that the authorities have put quantity before quality. However, the island is experiencing increasing interest, driven by greater focus on quality. The prices are still low, making it possible to get a good buy if you can find the right producers or go for slightly more expensive wines.
Sicily has an abundance of mountains. The soil is shallow and rainfall is low. The heat is intense and high in the summer. All of this provides excellent conditions for growing wine.
