NORTH or SOUTH? A CHALLENGE AMONG ITALIAN WHITE WINES

Our peninsula boasts enormous cultural riches, starting from the great variety of landscapes, cities, towns and villages that tell stories, legends and traditions.
Vine cultivation is part of our thousand-year history, occupying green and fresh hills, steep terraces or sun-drenched islands.
Region after region we have a succession of territories and wineries that symbolize Italy of wine, exalting unique grape varieties and terroir.
A quick journey to discover some of the riches of Italian wine, to discover an Italy that produces and is passionate.

Different types of terroir give rise to varied colors, aromas and flavors, as happens for example in the Grave territories in Friuli, where during ripening a water deficit occurs that inhibits the vegetative vigor of the plant at the expense of shoot growth, thus favoring sugar accumulation in the berries.
And what about the volcanic territories, rich in potassium that confer minerality and acidity.
In short, our grape varieties thrive in different types of soil, some adapting to multiple areas and climates, others preferring certain pedoclimatic environments, but each one contains within itself tradition and quality, since wine is made above all by people.

Together with the white-berried grape varieties present in our peninsula and the equally numerous red berries, we can count more than 300 native grape varieties.
In general, the white wines of northern Italy have bright colors and acidity, while in the south, deep and concentrated colors indicate structure.

But is this always true?
Even in the north we witness the formation of particular microclimates capable of recreating the Mediterranean environment. Even though we find ourselves at the 46th parallel, in the Collio Friulano we find a mild climate suitable even for olive and citrus trees.
Elegant whites from Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana and Riesling Italico but above all Friulano, which at Cormons where the heart of its production lies, expresses itself with lively freshness and sapidity reminiscent of the whites from the Sorrentine peninsula.
The Lago di Garda acts as a climatic buffer, as is the case for Garganega, straw-yellow in color, pleasant and delicate with a truly delightful drinking experience.
Hints of almond, peach and white plum are instead the hallmarks of Verdicchio, which has its roots in the Castelli di Jesi with its cold climate, often exposed to windy currents. A wine of imposing structure that can even reach alcohol levels of 14.5%.

Favorable to white berries are the climates of the extreme Italian north, where Chardonnay spreads – an important grape variety also thanks to its acid backbone useful for creating fantastic cuvée for sparkling wines.
Among the Piedmontese hills and the Lombard plain we find the complex reality of Oltrepò Pavese, a very varied territory consisting of an alluvial plain area and two different zones, respectively hilly and mountainous. To name a few, we have Cortese to produce Gavi, Malvasia di Candia also present in Lazio, Moscato also present in Trani and the international Sauvignon Blanc.

Liguria, Gallura and Maremma are the territories of the eclectic Vermentino, captivating in its fruity and citrusy nuances accompanied by freshness and sapidity. Along our coasts it is slowly replacing Trebbiano.

Widespread in Umbria, Grechetto – fresh, balanced and long-lived – gives its best in the Colli Martani Grechetto DOC and beyond, as notable results are also found in Civitella d'Agliano where it is classified as IGT.

Tufa vineyards and cold climate characterize Irpinia despite being located at the 37th parallel, with the native Greco di Tufo. Intoxicating floral, herbaceous and citrusy aromas with a particular gustatory freshness make this grape variety give its best precisely in this area. A white with slight tannicity as the grape contains a small polyphenolic load.

Continuing the journey south we find Bombino Bianco which, when processed according to quality criteria, is a grape variety that gives wines structure and also longevity. It is a grape variety also widespread in Romagna to produce Pagadebit: indeed, in ancient times it was used as a means of exchange for its high yields. In Puglia we also witness the production of sparkling wine from this grape variety according to the Metodo Classico.

Greco Bianco is found in the dry white wines of Calabria as it is part of the Cirò Bianco appellation, an ancient grape variety also widespread in central Italy that seems to have first landed in Calabrian territory.

Of perhaps Puglian origins but Sicilian by adoption since the 1800s, Grillo boasts approximately six thousand hectares of expansion concentrated almost entirely in the Trapanese area. Suitable for alberello cultivation, it has an interesting alcohol content, so much so that it is chosen as the base for the production of Marsala. More widespread in western Sicily is Cataratto, another ancient native of the island, which when vinified in purity expresses itself with citrusy hints of aromatic herbs, exploding in the mouth with remarkable freshness.

Still obscure are the origins of the Sardinian native grape varieties Nuragus and Nasco, used mainly for passito. The former is often used in purity for its aromas of ripe exotic fruit, balanced and persistent.

In short, whether it is from the north or the south, the only problem is the embarrassment of choice!