Italy Flashcards
What is Italy’s most ubiquitous white grape variety?
Trebbiano (also known as Ugni Blanc)
What is the most widely planted grape in Italy; found in many regions but known primarily as the “grape of Tuscany”?
Sangiovese
Out of the 20 Italian administrative regions, which produces the most wine overall?
Veneto (almost 19% of the country’s total as well as the largest quantity of DOC/DOCG wine and more than a third of wine at IGT level)
What red varieties are most closely associated with the Veneto?
Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara
What is the primary white grape of the Veneto?
Garganega.
What is another indigenous white variety that is the basis of the sparkling wine industry in the Veneto?
Glera/Prosecco
When can a wine be referred to as Prosecco?
If it is sourced from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene or Colli Asolani or neighbouring provinces (Rovigo, Verona, Trento, and Bolzano) if those producers have been bottling Prosecco in the past 5 consecutive years.
What dried-grape wine, both red and white, is the Veneto region noted for?
Appassimento wines
The Amarone della Valpolicella is the model for what technique?
An appassimento wine that is allowed to ferment completely dry, resulting in a wine with 15-16% alcohol.
Out of the 7 DOCGs in the Veneto, which is known for the “most distinguished” wine?
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
Which two DOCGs in the Veneto are considered a style of Valpolicella DOC?
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG and Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG
What producers in the Veneto have the right to the “classico” designation?
Producers in the heart of the original, historic growing district.
What does “superior” on the Valpolicella label mean?
It means that the wine has been aged at least one year and that its minimum alcohol requirement is a bit higher (12 rather than 11%)
What DOC and DOCG are produced just to the west of Valpolicella along Lake Garda? What do these wines have in common with Valpolicella blends?
Bardolino DOC and Badolino Superiore DOCG. They are all blends of Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara, and possibly a small amount of other varieties.
Bardolino is also made as a chiaretto. What does this mean?
Rose
What is the most preeminent white wine DOC in the Veneto? How much production volume does it represent in Italy?
Soave DOC. It represents the third largest volume in Italy, after Chianti and Asti.
What are the DOCGs in the Soave DOC? What is the main grape variety?
Soave Superiore and Revioto di Soave DOCGs. The main ingredient is Garganega, comprising at least 70% of the wine.
What two newly elevated DOCGs make sparkling wine in the Veneto region?
Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Colli Asolani
What process/grapes are used to make sparkling wine in the Vonegliano Valdobbiadene and Colli Asolani DOCGs?
The Charmat process using at least 85% Prosecco grapes.
What DOC in the Veneto is known for their traditional, pleasant, light, white wines made from Trebbiano?
Lugana DOC
What do the Piave and Lison-Pramaggiore DOCs have in common?
Both located in the Veneto and are geared toward new plantings of international grape varieties. These two large DOCs allow an assortment of single-variety wines from new and traditional grapes.
How many IGTs are available in the Veneto? What is the general IGT and which one also takes in Friuli-VEneia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige?
10 IGTs are available. The general IGT is simply called Veneto IGT. The larger being Delle Venezie IGT.
The Piedmont region is known as the home of what two “great red wines”?
Barolo and Barbaresco
What is the most famous grape in Piedmont?
Nebbiolo (tannic, high acid and from the Italian nebbia meaning fog)
What is the most widely planted grape in Piedmont?
Barbera (low tannin)
What are the leading white varieties in Piedmont?
Moscato, Arneis, and Cortese
How many IGTs does Piedmont have?
Zero
What is the most general appellation in Piedmont? WHat does it cover and what does it allow?
Piemonte DOC which covers the entire region and allows still and especially sparkling wines from more than a dozen grape varieties.
What DOC is smaller than Piemonte but still encompasses much of the prime winegrowing land of the Piedmont region?
Langhe DOC
Which two DOCGs produce the two highest regarded wines of Piedmont from 100% Nebbiolo?
Barolo and Barbaresco DOCGs
What would be expected from a “riserva” Barolo?
An intense, dry, velvety red wine, usually quite tannic and high in alcohol. Made from 100% Nebbiolo and aged for at least five years.
What is the difference in regards to the aging time of Barolo and Barbaresco?
Barolo is required to be aged for a minimum of three years (at least two in cask) while Barbaresco only needs to be aged for two.
What is the highest volume appellation of Piedmont and what is it known for?
Asti DOCG; an intensely aromatic wine full of peach and apricot flavors made from 100% Moscato.
What two styles is the Asti DOCG known for?
Moscato d’Asti (also a DOCG) which is frizzante (fizzy) and Asti, the spumante (fully sparkling) version.
How are Moscato d’Asti and Asti made? Which is sweeter?
Partial fermentation method. Moscato d’Asti is sweeter (5% alcohol in comparison to Asti’s 7-9%)
What is the Roero DOCG known for?
In Piedmont. Makes a less concentrated, earlier drinking Nebbiolo as well as a highly regarded white wine from Arneis.
Which two DOCGs produce Nebbiolo-based blends in the northern part of Piedmont? What is Nebbiolo called here?
Gattinara and Ghemme DOCGs where Nebbiolo goes by the name of Spanna.
What is Gavi di Gavi?
A crisp, floral white wine made from the Cortese grape in the Gavi DOCG (southeast corner of Piedmont).
What can be expected from wines from Barbera d’Alba DOC, Dolchetto di Dogliani Superiore DOCG, and Grignolino d’Asti DOC?
These are grape named appellations in the Piedmont area whose wines are typically made from 100% their named variety.
What is the grape variety identified with Tuscany?
Sangiovese