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Ciao, Tasters!
Welcome to Italy! Though only about the size of Arizona, the iconic boot-shaped peninsula is one of the largest wine producers and most diverse wine regions worldwide.
Your first World Tour collection gives a small sip of what makes the country and its vino so special. Of course, there’s always more to discover, so let's go a little deeper with the help of our Italian wine expert, Leo Bassano.
Scroll on to explore popular grape varieties and top styles, pour over the country’s history, meet some of the personalities behind some of our best-selling Italian bottles and more.
Ciao, Tasters!
Welcome to Italy! Though only about the size of Arizona, the iconic boot-shaped peninsula is one of the largest wine producers and most diverse wine regions worldwide.
Your first World Tour collection gives a small sip of what makes the country and its vino so special. Of course, there’s always more to discover, so let's go a little deeper with the help of our Italian wine expert, Leo Bassano.
Scroll on to explore popular grape varieties and top styles, pour over the country’s history, meet some of the personalities behind some of our best-selling Italian bottles and more.
what is a super tuscan?
In the 1960s, the Italian government implemented the Denominazione d’Origine Controllata (DOC) classification system to guarantee each region’s wines adhere to standards regarding grapes, production techniques and overall deliciousness.
At the time however, many of Tuscany’s reds didn’t qualify for their deserved high-quality status because they were made with non-native varieties (like Cabernet). As a workaround, the area’s more ambitious producers deemed their wines “Super Tuscans.” The name stuck, and the category has since become one of the country’s most internationally recognized styles. Check out the video for more.
See How Prosecco Gets its Pop
Unlike Champagne, which gets its bubbles from a secondary fermentation in its bottle, Italy’s top sparkler is made in a tank, via a technique called
the Charmat method. Here’s a wide-lens overview of how it all happens.
MEET OUR MAKERS
We source and share great wines from all over the world, but there are some producers with whom
we’ve established especially deep, long-lasting partnerships. Here are three to know from Italy.
Alessandro Gallici
A native of northeastern Italy without any family ties to professional winemaking, Alessandro built a reputation as the winemaker at a large-production operation in Friuli. With our help, he was able to strike out on his own, and he’s since crafted some of our best-selling whites and bubbles.
Paolo & Annarita Masi
In the rolling hills of Chianti’s famous Rufina subzone, the Masi family has been making wine since the early 1900s. Today, their estate is owned by the founder’s son, Paolo, and his wife, Annarita, who we’ve been working with for the last two decades. Their signature Chianti is key to our Italian range.
Ludovica Crugnale
A native of Abruzzo, Ludovica traveled the world to gain essential industry experience before returning home to become a leading oenologist at central Italy’s top wine cooperative. The bottlings she crafts for us are her passion project, and are characterful wines that express her region authentically.
Wine & dine
the Italian way
It’s nearly impossible to talk about Italian wine without mentioning Italian food. That’s because Italians do not separate wine as a beverage, rather, they consider it part of the meal.
Designed by our in-house wine experts, this insightful downloadable guide will help demystify the basics of pairing wine with any meal (Italian or otherwise).
Why does a black rooster
symbolize chianti?
In medieval times, the Tuscan cities of Florence and Siena fought constantly over possession of the Chianti area. To settle their dispute and create a permanent boundary, legend has it the cities’ rulers decided to send knights on a race toward each other. Wherever they met is where the government would mark an official border.
The knights agreed to start their ride when the roosters cried at dawn. The people of Siena chose a white rooster and the people of Florence chose a black one.
You can guess which side won. Leo explains how it all went down.
