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The Northern Region, where the
vineyards and wines are produced in the Alpine area, is Italy's coolest
wine-growing region. In the Northern Region we find the Alps protecting the
wine-growing areas, where the wine terraces and the valley floors provide such
nurturing as the different grape varieties require to flourish in these
undulating hillsides, producing wines of great complexity.
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Valle d'Aosta
~ with vast pastures, valley floors and steep slopes this area is ideal for
some red and white wines, mainly for the consumption of the local community
impacting them economically as well as culturally.
Piedmont ~
bordered by Switzerland and France and quite close to the Alps and the
Alpiennes, this area has been famous for winemaking for thousands of years,
since the time of the Greeks, when it was they who introduced wine and the art
of winemaking to the area. Here one finds an extensive collection of reds,
including Barbaresco and Bardo, as well as the well-known sparkling wine, Asti
Spumante.
Liguria ~
here one finds a small but select group of reds and whites that fill the
cellars mainly of the families of the wine growers. The flavourful wines grown
here will rarely be found outside of this area.
Lombardy
~ almost smack in the middle of the Alps, this area is not what one would call
a major wine producer. Yet vines can be seen cascading from crumbling villas
and walled terraces, especially northeast of Milan and around the southern
parts of Lago Garda, near Brescia. What can be found in the Lombardy Region
are some reds such as Cabernet, Merlot, and Rosato, as well as some sparkling
whites and rosés. Here the prevalent wine is Chardonnay.
Trentino-Alto Adige
~ it is said that perhaps the low winter temperatures and snowfall of the Alps
have contributed to such globally-appreciated reds and whites that include
Riesling, Sauvignon, Golden Muskateller, Chardonnay and a host of other
sparkling whites, only to be balanced by such wonderfully flavourful reds as
Cabernets and Merlots.
Veneto
~ from the Alps to the Adriatic Ocean, here we find the wonderful happy
marriage of grapes and olives, as well as citrus fruits. The delicious Veneto
reds and rosés include: Bardolino, Valpolicella, Cabernet Sauvignon, and
Cabernet. According to one source, figures reveal that Veneto produces the
largest quantities of wine in the whole of Italy.
Friuli Venezia Giulia
~ this lies in the easternmost part of Italy and is bordered by Austria and
the former Yugoslavia. Although mentioned last, it is certainly not the least
important of the Northern Regions as it has been centuries that this area has
known grapevines, where the first rootstocks arrived from the East before
wending their way into France. Legend has it that wine was enjoyed and
savoured in this region long before the Gaulois had even heard of this nectar.
From robust reds to enchanting whites, this is a wine-lover's haven boasting
the production of over three hundred types of wine.
Hail Caesar!
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