Italy Flashcards
What country is the world’s largest producer of wine?
Italy
From lowest to highest, what are the levels of quality in Italian wines?
Vino de tavola, IGT, DOC, and DOCG
What would the EU equivalent be for an Italian IGT wine?
PGI
What amount of Italian wine production is made up of DOC and DOCG wines?
Roughly 1/3
What are the main red grapes of the Veneto?
Covina, Rondinella, and Molinara
What is the dominant white grape of the Veneto?
Garganega
What is the name of the grape used in Prosecco?
Glera
What are the main DOCGs of the Veneto?
Amarona della Valpolicella (Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara), Recioto della Valpolicella (Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara), Bardolino Superiore (Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara), Soave Superiore (Garganega, with a little Trebbiano and Chardonnay), Recioto di Soave (Garganega, with a little Trebbiano and Chardonnay, Conegliano Valdobbiadene (Prosecco), and Colli Assolani (Prosecco).
Where is the Veneto region in Italy?
In the northeast corner of the country, bordering Austria and the Adriatic sea.
Where is the Piedmont region of Italy?
The northwest corner, bordered by France to the west and Switzerland to the north. It is surrounded on three sides by the Alps.
What are the dominant red grapes of the Piedmonte region of Italy?
Barbera is the most planted - Nebbiolo is the most famous. Also Dolcetto, Brachetto, and Grignolino.
What are the dominant white grapes of the Piedmont region?
Moscato, Arneis, and Cortese.
What are the two most highly regarded wines of the Piedmont region?
Barolo and Barbaresco - both are DOCGs from 100% Nebbiolo
What are the aging requirements for Barolo?
A minimum aging period of three years (at least two in cask) with 5 years required for the riserva designation.
What are the aging requirements of Barbaresco?
A minimum of two years - 4 to be designated riserva
What are the two styles of Moscato from the Asti DOCG?
Frizzante (lightly fizzy with only 5% abv) and Spumante (fully sparkling and 7-9% abv)
What is the name of the Nebbiolo grape in the Gattinara and Ghemme DOCGs in Piedmont?
Spanna
What is the grape of the Gavi DOCG?
Cortese
What is the grape and wine style of the Acqui DOCG?
Brachetto, a sweet red sparkling wine
Where is the Tuscany region of Italy?
The west coast, north of Rome, around the shin of the boot
What is the dominant red varietal of Tuscany? What are the other varietals grown there?
Sangiovese. You will also find plantings of Canaiolo Nero, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Syrah.
What are the white varietals of the Tuscan region?
Trebbiano, Malvasia, and Vernaccia are the native varietals.
What % of Tuscan wine production is red?
Almost 85%
What is the unique dessert wine of the Tuscan region?
Vin Santo, made from grapes that have been hung in attic rafters to dry (a la recioto), then crushed and put into small barrels with some of the previous year’s lees. It is then kept in barrel for 2-6 years. Whites are made from Trebbiano and Malvasia, reds from Sangiovese.
What is the dominant DOCG of the Tuscan region? What is the most heralded?
Chianti is the dominant region, Brunello di Montalcino the most heralded.
What is the aging/alcohol requirement for Chianti? What are the blending requirements?
Cannot be released until a year after harvest with a minimum of 12% alcohol. Riservaa require two years and an extra .5% alcohol. Both require a minimum of 80% Sangiovese, and white grapes are no longer permitted.
What are the aging requirements for Brunello di Montalcino?
A minimum of 4 years of agins before release with at least two years in wood and 4 months in bottle. For riserva wines, the numbers rise to 5 years aging and a minimum 6 months in bottle.
What is the local synonym of Sangiovese used in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano?
Prugnolo Gentile - at least 70% of the grape is required in the blend
What is the claim to fame of the Carmignano DOCG?
It was the first region to introduce Cabernet (Sauvignon and Franc), foreshadowing the Super-Tuscans
What is the name of the coastal area of Tuscany? What wine movement had its start in the area, and in what town?
Maremma - the first Super-Tuscan, Sassicaia, was made in the town of Bolgheri
What is the northernmost region in Italy?
Trentino-Alto Adige - it shares most of its northern border with Austria.
What is the easternmost region of Italy?
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
What region is most noted for the sparkling wine Franciacorta? Where is it located?
Lombardy - in the central part of the country on the northern border - the wines are made methodo classico from Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, and Pinot Nero.
What is the synonym for Nebbiolo used in the Lombardy region?
Chiavennasca
What are the main wine regions of Central Italy?
Marches - Verdicchio is the main white grape and Montepulciano the main red
Abruzzo - mainly red wines from the Montepulciano grape - most famously Montepulciano D’Abruzzo
Umbria
Latium - a higher percentage of white wine production than any other Italian region - Frascati and Est!Est!!Est!!! are the most recognized example
What is the most well-known red wine of the Campania region in southern Italy? White?
Taurasi, from the Aglianico grape is the most well-known red, The whites are Fiano D’Avelino and Greco di Tufo, both made from Falanghina.
Sicily is most well known for what style of wine? What is the most noted native varietal of the region?
Marsala - a fortified wine made in dry and sweet styles from the Cataratto, Grillo, and Inzolia grapes. Nero D’Avola is native to the region, as well.
The island of Sardinia is noted for wines from this grape, and is a synonym for what Spanish varietal?
Cannonau - Garnacha in Spain
What are the three types of Marsala?
Oro - golden
Ambra - Amber
Rubino - ruby /red
What are the aging variations of Marsala?
Marsala Fine - aged for a minimum of one year
Marsala Superiore - minimum two years
Marsala Superiore Riserva - four + years
Marsala Vergine or Marsala Soleras - aged in cask a minimum of 5 years in a solera system
Vergine Stravecchio Riserva - a dry style aged a minimum 10 years in cask
What is Tuscany’s best known white wine?
Vernacchia di San Gimignano
