The Fascinating World of Italian Wines Quiz

Answer: Umbria

Italy has 20 different regions that function as administrative divisions. One of these is Umbria, which is a landlocked region located in the center of the country. Umbria is sometimes referred to as the "green heart of Italy" because its continental climate provides an ideal environment for agriculture to flourish (for instance, olives for olive oil production and vineyards). The capital is Perugia.

The Lungarotti winery, which continues to operate as a family-run business, was founded in the 1960s by Giorgio Lungarotti, though the company claims that the family had been producing wine decades before. The winery is primarily known for the famous DOCG Torgiano it makes, which it calls Rubesco. Red wines produced in this region are primarily made with the Sangiovese grape.

Answer: Nebbiolo

Located in the very north of Italy, close to the Swiss Alps, Piedmont is one of Italy's premier wine-producing regions. Though the climate gets rather cold in the winter, it is otherwise a mixture of subcontinental temperate and continental/alpine, which helps make great tannic wines. Langhe, an area within Piedmont, is home to many distinguished appellations such as DOCG Barbaresco, DOC Barbera d'Alba, and DOCG Barolo. Though some wines in this region use Barbera (one of Italy's most widely planted grapes for decades) and Dolcetto, Langhe (and Barolo in particular) is known for the Nebbiolo grape.

Barolo wines are exclusively made with Nebbiolo, a grape that derives its name from its "foggy" appearance. They are regarded as one of Italy's best wines because of their aging potential and elegance.

Answer: Leone de Castris

The history of this well-established producer in Puglia dates back to the 17th century, and more specifically to 1665. It all began when Duke Oronzo left Spain to pursue winemaking in the Salice Salentino village. He planted both vineyards and olive trees to exploit the iron oxide-rich soils. In the 1900s, Piero and Lisetta Leone de Castris began bottling wines and developed their famous Five Roses rosè wine.

Besides DOC Salice Salentino, Puglia is also home to famous appellations like DOC Castel del Monte and DOC Primitivo di Manduria. The Southern Italian stalwarts of Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera (predominantly the former) are most common in wines by Leone de Castris.

Answer: Veneto

Located in the northeast of Italy, Veneto (home to Venice and its famous canals) is one of the country's major wine producers. The region is particularly well-known for its straw wines, which as the name suggests, are wines made from grapes that are dried in a bed of straw. The grapes spend almost a month during in straw to achieve desired levels of fermentation. Typical grapes of this area include Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara.

Veneto's signature DOCGs are DOCG Amarone della Valpolicella and DOCG Reciotto della Valpolicella; both are straw wines, but the former is drier while the latter is sweeter. The region also has DOC Ripasso della Valpolicella, which is a wine made by macerating grapes with leftover Amarone pomace (the leftovers from pressed grapes).

Answer: No

Despite their geographic proximity and what one's initial instincts may say, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo have absolutely nothing to do with each other! The confusion arises because the word Montepulciano can refer both to the name of a village and the name of a grape.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is made in the village of Montepulciano with the Prugnolo gentile grape, which is a clone of the more famous Italian grape Sangiovese. DOCG Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has the distinction of being the first DOCG in Italy. The wine gets its name from its famed status among European nobles a few centuries ago.

DOC Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a completely different type of wine. This one comes from the mountainous region of Abruzzo, and in this case, Montepulciano is also the name of the predominant red grape. This grape gives wines bold flavors, partly because it grows in Mediterranean and continental climates while being exposed to considerable precipitation.

Answer: Sparkling

Lombardy is located in the north of Italy. The region borders Switzerland, which means that the alpine vineyards there enjoy a cool continental climate. To the south, Lombardy borders the Po Valley, which is where Franciacorta wines are produced. This special type of sparkling wine, like Champagne and Prosecco, are produced using a blend of white grapes. DOCG Franciacorta is made through the traditional sparkling wine method, using Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, and Pinot Bianco grapes.

The Franciacorta territory now has hundreds of wineries that tourists can visit.

Answer: Age

Though the European Union has its own set of wine laws and regulations, each country has a different classification system for its wines. In Italy, wine quality is measured from Vino da Tavola (table wine, which is typically considered lower quality) to DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantia), which is the highest level of quality. Besides these specifications, Italian wines may also come with additional label terms. "Superiore", for instance, means that a wine has slightly more alcohol content.

"Riserva", on the other hand, describes a wine that has been aged for a certain minimum period of time. The specific time requirements vary between grapes and types of wine, but it normally involves at least a few years. Other countries have similar label terms (for example, Spanish wines which have been aged for some time are called "Reserva").

Answer: Black rooster

Chianti Classico is by far the largest designated DOCG within the Chianti zone, and thus responsible for the lion's share of fine Chianti. The Chianti subregion itself is located in Central Tuscany, and is home to the world-famous eponymous wines. Made mainly with Sangiovese, Chianti wines are earthy and acidic and go through varying periods of aging.

Bottles of Chianti Classico will come with a black rooster ("gallo nero") imprinted on the label. A potential reason for this traditional seal comes from a folk tale that basically goes like this: centuries ago, the rulers of Florence and Siena decided to end their war over Chianti by having two knights ride in opposite directions and mark their new borders at the point where they met. The plan was to have a rooster sing at dawn to wake up both knights, but the smart Florentines famished a black rooster before the competition. This made the rooster sing significantly earlier, therefore waking up their knight earlier and giving Florence a significant advantage in the dispute. Since then, the legend goes, the black rooster became a symbol of Chianti.

Answer: White

Italy is more commonly associated with red wine but it also has some great whites to offer! The Lazio region (home to the capital city of Italy, Rome) has sandy and volcanic soils that allow white grapes to grow well. An overwhelming majority of the wines produced here are made from the Trebbiano and Malvasia bianca grapes. DOC Frascati is an example of a Malvasia-based wine.

A famous Trebbiano wine from Lazio is called Est! Est!! Est!!! di Montefiascone. Of course, there's a story behind such a peculiar name: in the 12th century, a German bishop who would soon meet the Pope sent a prelate to survey villages looking for the best wines. The prelate was to engrave "est" (Latin for "it is"/"there is"/"this one") on the doors of places where he found particularly good wine. The idea was that the bishop would identify the markings when he traveled through the same route. When the prelate tasted the wine at Montefiascone, he enjoyed it so much that he wrote "Est! Est!! Est!!!" to signal to the bishop that this was the absolute best wine he had.

Answer: Primitivo

For many years, Zinfandel was considered the American/Californian grape by excellence. In the late 20th century, American scientists visiting Italy saw Primitivo vines that looked remarkably similar to Zinfandel. Several DNA tests later, scientists concluded that Primitivo and Zinfandel were essentially the same grape (or, alternatively, were clones of the same variety of vine). Similar testing has also shown that Zinfandel/Primitivo is the same as the Croatian variety Tribidrag.

In Italy, Primitivo can mostly be found in Puglia as DOC Primitivo di Manduria. These wines are more on the dry side though some can be moderately sweet.