Italian Wine Discovery - PART 1: Italian Wine 101

In this video I try to introduce the basic concepts of understanding Italian Wine. Italian wines can be overwhelming and I have found that most people get intimidated by hearing about too many different types of wines, rather than getting the gist of how Italian wines work.

🍷🍷🍷 Location is key here. In many New World Countries (United States, South America, Australia and New Zealand) wines are referenced by their grape type.

For example, the most popular type of wine in the U.S. is Cabernet Sauvignon. Arguably, the Napa Valley of California produces some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon in the world. However, we don't call these wines Napa Valley Reds. The grape (varietal) is how the wine is referenced not the location. Even though the location may be listed on the bottle, the varietal gets center stage.

In Italy and other parts of Europe (the Old World) location is most important.

This can be confusing for many people but in the long run it can lead to a better understanding of "terroir" as well as a higher level of quality control.

This intro to Italian Wine is meant to be a reference point to a larger series of Discovering Italian Wines. I will be exploring all 20 Italian Wine Regions as well as some traditional 🍕🍕🍕food pairings to accompany some of the wines.

Italian Wines offer a huge variety and long history. Strangely enough most people know very little about them. This series could be your chance to be the smartest person in the room when it comes to Italian Wines!

Salute! (❁´◡`❁)