A Taste of Italy - Italian Wines |
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It may come as a big surprise to you that more wine is produced in Italy than any other country in the world, but this information will come as no surprise to Italians. Wine making in Italy has been raised to the level of an art form. One that is passed down from generation to generation throughout many decades. The climate and the disparity of the region is such that there is a very large variety of grapes available for wine making. More so than anywhere else in the world. The majority of this production is done in the world famous region of Tuscany. Tuscany can be found right in the center of Italy. The famous fashion capital Milan is far to the north, near the borders of France and Switzerland, while Rome is a little to the south. Tuscany is a jewel set between the Tyrrhenian Sea on the west and the Apennines mountain range on the east. It consists of ten provinces, one of which is Pisa. A city famous for it's Leaning Tower. The capital city is Florence. Wine making in Tuscany is just as historic as Italy's architecture and art. A history that extends as far back as the beginning of time. Everybody has heard of the well-known wines such as Chianti from Tuscany, Valpolicella and Soave, but what about the marvelous Rondinella, Malvasia and Sangiovese? These are marvelous wines, and the little known Malvasia is superb. There are more different types of vine grown in Italy than any other country, and Italy can truly be awarded the accolade of wine growing country of the world. The French, Germans and all of the New World Australian and American wine producing areas pale into insignificance when compared to Italy. At least for volume. The Italian vines are said to have brought by the Greeks. "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts" is the saying, but if true then these gifts were welcome and did nothing but good. The success of Italian wine growing is due to its geography and climate. The Apennines run right down the backbone of Italy, with beautiful hot Mediterranean conditions at the bottom ranging to more continental and then a fairly cold climate towards the Alps. This geography provides every type of climate possible for growing grapes, and the cold loving vines and those larger and juicier grapes that prefer more heat are all well catered for. It never gets too dry, and never gets too wet. Were you to personally design a country and climate ideal for growing just about every variety of grapes, you would end up with Italy.
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