Italy

Italy is an Aladdin's cave of wine discoveries with little jewels of wines of all hues and styles all over, from Sicily to the Alps.

The ancient Greeks called Italy "Oenotria" — wine-land — and its inhabitants are today as passionate about their wines as ever ... from the snowy Alpine regions in the north, to the ancient soils of Sicily in the south. Hand-in-hand with this passion, goes an intense commitment to local styles. As a result, Italy produces a wider, more fascinating range of individual, characterful and even idiosyncratic wines than anywhere else in the world.

Al fresco dining at Villa Sandi, Veneto, Italy.

Maurizio Biscardo, long-time friend and producer.

While Italy has its own DOC system of classifying its wines (similar to the French AOC), many exciting, innovative and high-quality wines, once simply labelled Vino da Tavola (table wine) have now gained recognition as IGT or Indicazione Geografica Tipica. This denotes wines of quality, true to their region, but generally not adhering to the specific grape types insisted upon under the DOC legislation. This allows modern Italian winemakers the freedom to express their creativity and craft wines unhindered by centuries-old traditions that may be too restrictive.

A little effort to explore Italy's fabulous wines will be richly rewarded. We work hard to bring you the best. And the simplest, most enjoyable, way to get to know the country's wines is, quite simply, to drink them!