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CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE WINES OF THIS REGION
Geography: The transition to the mezzogiorno- the Italian South - starts in the rolling hills, baked, empty countryside and rugged mountain wildernesses of Abruzzo and Molise. Further south into Puglia - the long heel of Italy - the scenery becomes increasingly stark, rocky and barren, most particularly in the Salentine peninsula at the heel's tip. Basilicata is Italy·s most barren, mountainous and least populated province while forgotten Calabria in the toe has a surprising variety of mountains, forests and pretty coastal scenery. Campania is perhaps the most obviously picturesque of all the southern provinces, positively bursting with beautiful scenery from the magnificent Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples to the gorgeous (but crowded) Sorrento coast to the islands of Ischia and Capri. Sicily is mountainous and hilly, with sparsely populated countryside some and lovely coastline. Etna, its great volcano, towers above the popular resort town of Taormina in the east. Sardinia, away from the pretty but developed coastline, is an empty, almost eerie, mountainous place.
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Key Wine Styles: Full, deep, sun-filled reds and not a few surprisingly fresh dry whites are the order of the day. There are some really superb wines made in the South, and it is here that the biggest leaps forward in Italian winemaking are taking place.
Key Grape Varieties and their wines: The quintessential central Italian grapes Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Trebbiano dominate the ·transition· provinces of Abruzzo and Molise. Negroamaro and Malvasia Nero go to make up the blend of Salice Salentino, the signature Puglian red (full, savoury and earthy). Aglianico, another full red, is found as Aglianico del Vulture in Basilicata as well as in Campania. Gaglioppo is the complex and full indigenous red grape of Calabria and is produced under the Cirò and Melissa DOC·s. Greco, Fiano and Falanghina are three superb and distinctive white varieties found principally in Campania as Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino and Sannio Falanghina. Cannonau - otherwise known as Grenache in France- is the key red grape in Sardinia, while Vermentino (also known as Rolle in France) is its signature white grape. As Cannonau di Sardegna and Vermentino di Sardegna they can often be very good. Apart from Sicily·s famous Sherry-style wine Marsala, made at the town of the same name at the westernmost tip of the island, Sicily also has its own indigienous varietes from which increasingly high quality dry wines are being made - notably from Inzolia and Catarratto (white) and Nero d·Avola (red).
Matt's 'Must-Trys' from this region: Any wine from the Vesevo estate in Campania - but particularly their (dry white) Falanghina and their (red) Aglianico. Delicious, unusual and very well priced - the quintessential Grapevine wines! For sheer outstanding value you must try the wines from the Gran Sasso winery in Abruzzo. Very hard indeed to beat in the £5 - £6 range.
CLICK HERE MATT'S 'MUST TRY'S' FROM THIS REGION
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