GRAPE GROWING AND WINE MAKING IN ITALY: FOUR EXAMPLES OF TERROIRS

Italy has a more than 2000 year history of grape growing and wine making, a favorable climate, an incredible variety of indigenous vines: with a massive production in excess of 60 millions hectolitres, it is perhaps the largest wine producer in the world. Four examples of Italian terroirs illustrate some of the variations among the grape growing regions. They are typical Italian wines with controlled original denominations (DOC) produced by local, indigenous grapevines, some of ancient origin, such as AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE, known since the early days of the Roman Empire: the vineyards are located on the eastern and southern slopes of the Vulture volcano, on thin soils developed on volcaniclastic sediments rich in potash. The other examples include TEROLDEGO ROTALIANO, from a Graben in the heart of the Southern Alps, CASTEL DEL MONTE, located in the Apulia carbonate platform and LUGANA, on glacial moraines south of Garda Lake. The four terroirs strongly differ not only for the physical environment, but for the cultural methods that reflect a very long tradition developed through the centuries.