Italy

Italy is wine country, with climates ranging from the cool and cold near the Alps all the way South to the heat of Sicily. Italy has made its name mainly through wines produced from its indigenous grapes: sangiovese and pinot grigio, rondinella and garganega, nebbiolo and moscato, amongst many others. These factors combine to allow Italy to produce highly distinctive wines which are appreciated all over the world. In more recent times, the warmer regions in the South have started producing wines in approachable New World styles. Also, in the 1970s, winegrowers started experimenting with merlot and cabernet sauvignon to add complexity to their sangiovese-based wines. These became knows as Super-Tuscan wines and now occupy the highest price points and gain the highest scores from wine magazines such as the Wine Spectator, Decanter and Wine Advocate.