The Top Wines of the Liguria Region

What are Liguria's best wines?...

Rossese di Dolceacqua vineyards

Liguria is in 19th place among Italy's twenty regions for both the acerage devoted to grapevines and the actual wine production. It is very difficult to get Ligurian wine in North America. This region, also known as the Italian Riviera, produces seven DOC wines, and one IGT wine. The region is very dry and has poor sandy soil that covers steep, well-drained slopes. If you think that such an area is bad for making red wine, think again. At this point Liguria has not yet stepped onto the wine scene, but maybe someday it will.

Rossese di Dolceacqua

Liguria's first DOC wine, and possibly its best, is the Rossese di Dolceacqua or Dolceacqua made almost entirely from the red Rossese grape with a maximum of 5% of other local red grape varieties. This is a ruby red wine that turns brick red upon aging. It contains 12% to 12.5% alcohol. The Superiore version is aged for a minimum of 12 months. Serve this wine at 64-67 degrees Fahrenheit (18-20 degrees Centigrade).

Cinque Terre village

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre are five tiny villages on the cliffs of the Ligurian coast not far from Tuscany. The view is spectacular. The wines are not. Cinque Terre wines are made from a variety of local white grapes, and are vinified in both dry and sweet styles. Cinque Terre Sciacchetrà wines are made from dried grapes and are sweet. Both versions are straw yellow to amber yellow. The dry version is sometimes salty which is no surprise given that is produced so close to the sea. It has an alcoholic content of 11% to 13%. The sweet version may taste of dried fruits, honey, and nutmeg, and has an alcoholic content of 16% to 17%. It is aged for a minimum of 12 months, the Riserva version is aged for a minimum of 36 months. I don't know about you, but I think that I'd prefer the sweet version. Serve the dry wine at 45-49 degrees Fahrenheit (8-10 degrees Centigrade). Serve the sweet wine at 49-53 degrees Fahrenheit (10-12 degrees Centigrade).

See I Love Italian Wine and Food - The Liguria Region - Tuscany Wine for a review of a white wine from the neighboring region of Tuscany.

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