Italy has twenty wine regions. Every single one of them makes wine. That is not an exaggeration, it is a genuine fact that surprises people the first time they hear it. From the Alps in the north to the islands in the south, there is not a single corner of Italy where somebody is not growing grapes.
This is why Italian wine can feel overwhelming. Where do you even start?
My cousin Danilo has spent years travelling through these regions, visiting vineyards, meeting winemakers, and building the list of over 1000 natural wines we now pour at MaMeMi. When people ask him where to begin, he does not give them a bottle. He gives them a map.
So here is that map. Ten regions worth knowing, what makes each one special, and what to look for when you see them on a wine list.
1. Piedmont
The north west of Italy, sitting at the foot of the Alps. Fog, hazelnuts, white truffles, and some of the most serious red wine in the world.
Piedmont is Nebbiolo country. This is the grape behind Barolo and Barbaresco, wines that are pale in colour but enormous in structure, with tannin and acidity that let them age for decades. Nebbiolo smells of roses, tar, and dried cherry. It is not an easy wine, but once it clicks for you, nothing else quite compares.
For everyday drinking, look for Barbera or Dolcetto. Barbera especially is one of the great food wines of Italy. Bright acidity, low tannin, and it goes with almost anything, including pizza.
Danilo’s note: Piedmont natural wine producers have been leading the low intervention movement in Italy for decades. Some of the most interesting bottles on our list come from here.
2. Tuscany
The region everybody has heard of, and for good reason.
Sangiovese is the grape. Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, all built on it. Sangiovese has this savoury, slightly bitter cherry character with real acidity, which is exactly why it works so beautifully with tomato based food. It was made for the way Tuscans eat.
Tuscany also has one of the strongest biodynamic movements in Italy. The rolling hills and varied altitudes make it ideal for farming this way, and many of the region’s best producers have converted over the past twenty years.
Danilo’s note: If you want to understand why wine and food evolved together in Italy, drink Sangiovese with something tomato based. It makes immediate sense.
3. Veneto
North east Italy, the region around Venice and Verona. Enormous production, and quality that ranges from very ordinary to genuinely extraordinary.
This is where Prosecco comes from, and also where you find Amarone, one of the most distinctive red wines in the world. Amarone is made from grapes that are dried on mats for months before pressing, concentrating everything into something rich, powerful, and slightly raisiny.
Veneto also has Soave, a white wine made from Garganega that has been badly served by mass production but which, from a good producer, is one of Italy’s most underrated whites.
Danilo’s note: Look for small Soave producers. There is real quality hiding behind the reputation.
4. Friuli Venezia Giulia
The far north east, bordering Slovenia. This is where orange wine was reborn.
Friuli produces some of Italy’s finest white wines from grapes like Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, and Malvasia. But what made this region internationally famous over the past twenty years is the movement of producers who started fermenting white grapes on their skins, the way red wine is made, creating amber coloured wines with tannin and structure.
This is where the modern orange wine movement began. Producers like Josko Gravner and Stanko Radikon changed how the world thinks about white wine.
Danilo’s note: If you want to try orange wine properly, start with Friuli. This is the source.
5. Trentino Alto Adige
Alpine Italy. Mountains, cold nights, and some of the most precise white wines in the country.
The altitude here does something specific to grapes. Cold nights preserve acidity while warm days develop flavour, which gives the wines this beautiful tension between richness and freshness. Pinot Bianco, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon, and Pinot Grigio that actually tastes of something.
The region also produces excellent Teroldego and Lagrein, two native red grapes that deserve far more attention than they get.
Danilo’s note: Elisabetta Foradori in Trentino is one of the most important biodynamic producers in all of Italy. Her Teroldego is remarkable.
6. Emilia Romagna
The food capital of Italy. Parmigiano Reggiano, prosciutto di Parma, balsamic vinegar, tortellini.
The wine is Lambrusco, and please forget everything you think you know about it. Real Lambrusco is dry, sparkling, and deep purple, with a slight bitterness and enough acidity to cut through the richest food in Italy. It is the perfect wine for the region’s cuisine, and it has been badly misrepresented internationally by sweet industrial versions.
Emilia Romagna is also home to a strong natural wine community producing some genuinely exciting bottles.
Danilo’s note: Dry natural Lambrusco with a rich pizza is one of the great pairings. Try it once and you will understand.
7. Lazio
My home region. The area around Rome.
Lazio has historically been overlooked as a wine region, partly because Rome drank everything it produced. But this has changed dramatically over the past two decades. A new generation of producers is taking native grapes seriously and making wines with real character.
Look for whites from Malvasia Puntinata and Bellone, and reds from Cesanese, a native grape that produces medium bodied wines with a distinctive spicy, herbal quality.
Danilo’s note: Lazio is one of the most exciting regions for value right now. The quality is rising fast and the prices have not caught up.
8. Campania
The region around Naples, sitting in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.
Volcanic soil does extraordinary things to grapes. Campania produces Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo, two white wines with mineral intensity and the ability to age for years. It also produces Taurasi from Aglianico, sometimes called the Barolo of the south, a powerful red with serious tannin.
Campania is also where pizza was born, which is a reasonable argument for drinking Campanian wine with it.
Danilo’s note: Fiano is one of the best white wines in Italy and almost nobody outside Italy knows it. That is starting to change.
9. Sicily
The largest island in the Mediterranean and one of the most exciting wine regions in the world right now.
Sicily has everything. Nero d’Avola producing rich, warm reds. Frappato making light, floral, almost delicate wines. And on the slopes of Mount Etna, some of the most extraordinary wines in Italy from Nerello Mascalese and Carricante grown in volcanic soil at high altitude.
Etna wines have this combination of power and lightness that is very hard to find elsewhere. They taste of smoke, ash, red fruit, and something almost saline.
Sicily also has one of the strongest natural wine movements in Italy, with producers like Arianna Occhipinti and COS leading internationally.
Danilo’s note: Etna is my favourite place in Italy to visit vineyards. The landscape is otherworldly and the wines reflect it.
10. Puglia
The heel of the boot. Hot, flat, sun soaked, and historically a source of bulk wine that got shipped north to add colour and alcohol to weaker blends.
That has changed. Puglia now produces serious wine from Primitivo and Negroamaro, two grapes that give rich, dark, generous reds with soft tannin and warm fruit. These are approachable wines with real character, and they represent excellent value.
Puglia is also home to focaccia barese, extraordinary olive oil, and some of the best produce in Italy.
Danilo’s note: Primitivo from a good producer is one of the friendliest introductions to southern Italian wine.
How to Start Exploring
You do not need to work through all twenty Italian regions to appreciate Italian wine. Start with two or three that appeal to you and go deep.
- If you like structure and complexity, start with Piedmont and Tuscany.
- If you like fresh, mineral whites, start with Trentino Alto Adige and Campania.
- If you want something genuinely different, start with Friuli orange wines and Etna.
Or come to MaMeMi and let Danilo guide you. Our list of over 1000 natural Italian wines covers all of these regions and many more. Tell him what you like and he will find you something that will surprise you.
We are at Mysundegade 28 in Vesterbro. Weekend lunch every Saturday and Sunday from 12:00. Book your table here.
Francesco
