Intermediary Italian Wine Articles
Continue learning about Italian wine...
This pyramid presents the four Italian wine classifications:Vino di Tavola - Table Wine, IGT - Indicazione Geografica Typica, DOC - Denominazione di Origine Controllata, and DOCG - Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Guarantita. It seems clear, as you go up the pyramid there are fewer but higher quality wines. The truth is much more complicated.
These articles by guest authors discuss various aspects of Italian wine. Their point of view may be different from mine, but I found these articles worth reading and think that you will also. The articles in this section discuss intermediary aspects of Italian wine. The other section presents articles on more basic subjects. Of course not everyone agrees on the classifications so you should take a look at both sections. We intend to add to these lists as more articles become available, when we are not writing articles of our own.
A clickable list of articles on intermediary Italian wine articles follows immediately. Then we briefly describe each article, followed by a direct quote to entice you to read it. While we do not necessarily agree with each author's affirmations, we only present articles that we feel are of value. We plan to add relevant articles from time to time.
Melinda Carnis's Chianti Wine RegionsStephen Rhode's Do You Know These Little Known Facts About Tuscany Wines?
Angelo Cataldo's Food-Wine Pairing Tips for French and Italian Wines
Matt Ellsworth's The History of Italian Wine
Rodney Wright's Wineries Buzzing About 'cal-ital' Varietals
Jennifer Jordan's Wine and the Roman Empire
Eve C. White's Make Mine Italian: Wines From Tuscany and Piedmont
Title: Chianti Wine Regions
By: Melinda Carnes
Do you remember those straw-covered bottles, when Chianti meant a low-quality red wine mixed with even lower quality white grapes? Those days are over. Read this article to learn more about todays's Chianti.
Click to read The Chianti Wine Regions"What makes the land unique in the area is the climate of the region. The warmth which is constant, lasts much of the year with little rain fall. The soil is dry and full of stones infused with limestone providing many nutrients and minerals for the grapes. In addition, ..."
Do You Know These Little Known Facts About Tuscany Wines?
By: Stephen Rhodes
Rhodes presents important points that you may not realize about wines from Tuscany, one of Italy's stellar wine regions.
"Wine has been produced in Tuscany for hundreds and hundreds of years. In recent decades Tuscan winemakers have put great effort into the quality of their products, resulting in ..."Click to read Do You Know These Little Known Facts About Tuscany Wines?
Title: Food - Wine Pairing Tips For French and Italian Wines
By: Angelo Cataldo
Cataldo presents close to two dozen of his personal favorites for pairing food with Italian and French wine. I was pleased to see that his choice for accompanying a steak was my first choice as well.
"Many people are intimidated by the task of selecting wine in a fine restaurant. This article is intended to provide a simple guide that will enable anyone to feel confident enough to choose a wine that will impress their dinner guests. ..."Click to read Food - Wine Pairing Tips For French and Italian Wines
Title: The History of Italian Wine
By: Matt Ellsworth
Why not read this brief history of Italian wine while sipping a fine Italian white wine an nibbling on antipasto, Italian, of course?
"...As long as four thousand years ago the people who lived in Italy, the prehistoric people, were making and drinking wine. They would take the grapes still used in Italian wine today and press it in order to get the juice out. This grape juice would ferment..."Click to read The History of Italian Wine
Wineries Buzzing About 'cal-ital' Varietals
By: Rodney Wright
Italian?, yes and no. The wines described in this article all come from California, but show the influence of "the old country." Wright includes food pairing tips.
"Cal-Ital refers to Italian varietals grown in California and is the new buzzword among some winemakers.Click to read Wineries Buzzing About 'cal-ital' Varietals
California's wine country was largely built on Italian-American grape growers, like Sam & Vicki Sebastiani of Viansa Winery..."
Wine and the Roman Empire
By: Jennifer Jordan
So you don't like reading about history. Jordan's article could change your mind. She packs a lot of facts and humor into this article.p>
"...From Noah drinking it in the Old Testament, to legends of soldiers who used it as courage to fight during medieval times, wine has impacted conquests and wars. While this impact..."Click to read Wine and the Roman Empire
Make Mine Italian: Wines From Tuscany and Piedmont
By: Eve C. White
White offers some specific recommendations for fine, moderately priced Italian wines and food to accompany them. And remember, she's writing about two of Italy's finest wine regions.
"A modern renaissance of winemaking in Italy is making wine lovers and critics stand up and take notice. In the 20th century, wine in Italy frequently meant..."Click to read Eve C. White's Make Mine Italian: Wines From Tuscany and Piedmont