Italy, a wine traveler's dream

Italy, not only tops the list as one of the world's leaders of wine production, but also is a wine traveler's dream. September 2022 I will return to Italy for a Wine Media Conference (#WMC22). YES, come the end of September I am off to Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy, and one of northern Italy’s premier tourist destinations. For sure it has been awhile however, I still remember those earlier wine travels to Italy. Whether I am traveling in Italy or elsewhere I like to explore Italy through its wines. How could I not?

Ortigia's Plaza at Night © Spaswinefood

Earlier visits to Milan, Venice, Tuscany and Sicily were great places to checkout the wine and food scene. For example it was wonderful to explore Ortigia, Sicily at night. The plazas always looked so stunning at night.

Ortigia at Night © Spaswinefood

I remember walking the alleyways until we discovered the perfect restaurant for dinner.

Alleyway, Ortigia © Spaswinefood

No matter where in Italy these dinner discoveries always led to great wine finds. So I am beyond excited to return to Italy.

Lombardy's Lake Garda

This time we head to Lake Garda, which borders on the provinces of Lombardia and Veneto. Our conference will focus on the Lombardy wine region. #WMC22 will take place in the Hotel Acquaviva in the town of Desenzano del Garda, a small town on the lake’s southern shore. Desenzanzo, along with its sister city Sirmione, are the top destinations on the lake.  The regional capital of Lombard is Italy's second-largest city, Milan. It is a region with many small-scale wineries that produce a significant proportion of Lombardy's annual wine production. 

Entrance to the Park at Corso Sempione, Milan © Spaswinefood

Lombardy's Wine

Lombard, a large and geographically complex region, offers a wide range of wine styles. It is home to five DOCG, 21 DOC and 15 IGP titles.  It's popular and well-known wine styles including the bright, cherry-scented Valtellina, and high-quality sparkling wines from Franciacorta and Oltrepo Pavese Metodo Classico. The Oltrepo Pavese zone stands out among these as one of the larger, better-known regions, not only for its sparkling Oltrepo Pavese Metodo Classico DOCG, but also for its Pinot Grigio, which since 2008 has had its own independent DOC (Oltrepo Pavese Pinot Grigio). Franciacorta, the second of Lombardy's two sparkling DOCG wines, comes from vineyards between Brescia and Lake Iseo. 

I have been most fortunate to have visited Francicorta DOCG, and to have also discovered Lugana DOC wines. Lugana DOC regulations allow for up to 10% of complementary white grape varieties (as long as they are non-aromatic), the majority of the producers tend to make their Lugana wines exclusively from Turbiana grapes. Five different styles of Lugana wines are permitted: Standard Lugana, Superiore, Riserva, Vendemmia Tardiva (late harvest), and Spumante (sparkling). I look forward to learning more about the Lombardy wine region.

Earlier Wine Travels to Italy

2011 I visited  Francicorta DOCG, Alto Adige, and Tuscany's Chianti Classico wine regions. Since my 2011 wine travels I have also visited other wine regions, such as Sicily. Sicily has a special place in the hearts of food and wine lovers.  Now a few vignettes from those earlier wine travels.

Vignette: Brescia 2011

October 2011 I wrote:  This week I leave California for Italy. My Spaswinefood travels will take me to Brescia, Italy for the European Wine Bloggers Conference 2011 #EWBC2011. Of course, I have checked the weather in Brescia. While I have read a little on Brescia's history (ancient era, middle ages and modern era) most of my research has been on wine. Yes, I must admit I spend lots of time on this.

Grapes ready for harvest in Hopland, Mendocino County, 2011 © Spaswinefood

Brescia is in Northern Italy's Lombardy wine region, which is best known for its Francicorta DOCG sparkling wines, with its reds and whites under the label of terre di Franciacorta. 

During that visit to Italy I obviously explored Francicorta's sparkling wines. There were also trips to Alto Adige wine country and Tuscany's Chianti Classico. Alto Adige wine is from the higher part (Alto) near the Adige River. The wines from this region are mainly produced by small family wineries. In Tuscany I toured the Chianti Classico region, which lies between Florence and Siena, bordered by the Chianti Mountains to the east and Elsa River and Pesa Valley to the west. The Chianti Classico wines are regarded amongst the best in Italy.

Piazza del Campo, Siena © Spaswinefood

Vignette: Sicily 2015

Visitors to Sicily soon discover that it is a place where flavors explode all around you. While Sicilian cuisine shares much in common with Italian cuisine it also has Greek, Spanish, French and Arabic influences. Sicilian wine, an integral part of the local cuisine, is produced in all provinces. Travel to Sicily in the off season then it will absolutely spoil you big time. Moreover, the natural beauty of Sicily will capture your heart, no matter the season. If you have the luxury of visiting Sicily, in the off season, it will definitely spoil you big time. I still remember our November 2015 two week exploration of Sicily, which took us to Palermo, Ortigia-Siracusa, Zafferana Etnea, Agrigento, Cefalú, and back to Palermo. Our vine-filled travels also included a day trip to Donnafrugata Winery in Marsala.

Cefalú, Sicily 2015 © Spaswinefood

Vignette: Intro to Abruzzo and Le Marche Wines 2021

Last summer's introduction to Abruzzo's and Le Marche's wines at #WMC21 has motivated me to learn more about these two Italian wine regions.

Abruzzo Wines © Spaswinefood

Abruzzo Wines

Abruzzo is best known for Montepulciano (red grape), and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo (white grape) however, lesser known varieties like Passeribna, Cococciola, and Pecorino are now getting the attention they deserve. The session I attended focused on Pecorino. I am now motivated to learn more about Abruzzo wines.

Another #WMC21 session took us to Italy's Marche wine country to learn about its inviting wines. While Le Marche is best known for its white wines Trebbiano and Verdiccho, it is also home to some big quality reds. Some of Italy’s finest Marche wines comes from Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes. 

Why Le Marche, Italy © Spaswinefood

While sometimes overshadowed by its neighbors Abruzzo to the south, and Umbria and Tuscany to the west, the Le Marche wine region produces great wines. It is home to 15 DOCs and 5 DOCGs. During the session at #WMC21 we explored wines from Marche's wine appellations of Verdicchio di Castilli di Jesi, Lacrima di Morro d'Alba, and Rosso Piceno DOC's, and DOCG Pecorino. I have since discovered that not only are there great wines but some of Italy's best cheeses are in Le Marche. Indeed Le Marche and Abruzzo wines inspire adventures. 

I can not wait to return to Italy; so come this September 2022, as the leaves change their colors and the grape harvest is in progress, I will be off to Italy's Lombardy Wine Region. After the conference I plan to also visit Abruzzo and Le Marche wine regions. Life of a wine blogger is tough. But, hey someone has to do.

Sharon

March 2022

Antigua, Guatemala

© Spaswinefood

Antigua, Guatemala © Spaswinefood

Italy is this winelover's dream. Earlier Spaswinefood posts on Italy include:

1. Discovering The Best of Milan (Milano), Italy

2. Food And Wine Adventures In Napoli, Italy

3. Venice In October

4. A Few Wine and Food Moments in Rome (Roma), Italy

Tuscany’s Chianti Classico posts:

1. Paolo Cianferoni's Caparsa Wine Estate, Radda

2. Badia a Coltibuono Wine Estate

3. Castello di Brolio Wine Estate

4. Castello di Ama Wine Estate: Terroir D'Arte

5. Vignamaggio Wine Estate: Mona Lisa and Wine

6. Pappa al Pomodoro at Badia a Coltibuono Wine Estate

7. Dario Cecchini’s Solo Cicca Ristorante

See posts on Alto Adige:

1. A Postcard from Alto Adige Wine Country

2. The Amazing Beauty of Alto Adige and its Wines

3. Devine Food and Wine at Seehofkeller Restaurant, Alto Adige

4. Discovering old vintage white wines at Kellerei Cantina Terlan, Alto Adige