The country has over 350 grapes granted as "authorized" status and there are more than 500 other documented varieties in circulation.

NEBBIOLO
Nebbiolo - whose name is wisely derived from nebbia, the Italian word for “fog” - is a very old grape first being referenced in the 13th-century. It is the quintessential Piedmontese red varietal known for producing powerful, full-bodied, tannic wines and for being behind the world’s revered Barolo and Barbaresco. Much like Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo is an incredibly fussy variety to grow and is considered as a highly receptive “terroir-expressive” one. It is rarely found anywhere else in Italy (and with very few clones also - Spanna, Picoutener, Chiavennasca) … but has become a niche variety in the "New World" wine nations (US, Argentina, South Africa, etc).

BARBERA
Barbera is an easy to grow dark-skinned grape widely found in Piedmont and Lombardy and other Italian regions (Emilia-Romagna, Puglia, Campania, Sicily, Sardinia…). As of 2000, it was the third most-commonly planted red variety in the peninsula after Sangiovese and Montepulciano. In its heartland of Piedmont, it is mainly vinified on its own - producing the high-end Barbera D’Alba and Barbera D’Asti - while outside it is often used in blends. It produces deep-coloured, full-bodied reds with low tannins, high levels of acidity and cherry/red fruits flavours complemented by earthy overtones.

DOLCETTO
Dolcetto is often viewed as Piedmont's third red-wine grape. This native easy-growing dark-skinned grape is grown almost exclusively in the cooler vineyards of the provinces of Cuneo and Alessandria where outstanding Nebbiolo and Barbera would struggle to ripen. The wines it produces are nearly always dry - despite its name, Dolcetto meaning "little sweet one"; they are soft-styled, fruity and fragrant wines with low tannins and low acidity, typically designed to be consumed within a few years of vintage.

FREISA
Freisa is a black-skinned grape native to the Piedmont which is making a comeback. Even wilder and more rustic, it is still a close but little-known relative of Nebbiolo giving almost always a varietal wine as well. It is used to make reds of various styles, from sweet and still to dry and sparkling (both gently frizzante and tightly spumante), able to age thanks to acidity and tannins; they are structured and perfumed, show complex and vivacious aromas (berry, spice, earth) and flavours (cherry etc). In Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway was noting a "clear, red, tannic and lovely wine »!

RUCHE'
Ruchè is a very little-known, dark-skinned grape variety from Piedmont. It has been grown in the area for at least a century but has only recently been marketed and consumed outside of the immediate vicinity of its production. It actually shares some similarities with the lauded local Nebbiolo grape. They both tend to make tannic, light-coloured wines with pronounced aromas and bouquet; those wines are often characterised by a slightly bitter aftertaste. Ruchè now has its own DOCG appellation (Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato), one of the lowest production varietal wines in Italy.

PINOT NOIR
Pinot Noir - or Pinot Nero - is the patriarch of the Pinot family and is considered one of the noblest red grape worldwide. This "international" variety of French origin is widely - and not easily - cultivated; being very sensitive to the terroir, the wine it makes gets many different expressions depending on location, land and soils characteristics. However, its essence bears in unique aromas of more or less fresh or stewed red berries and cherry. In Italy, it is mostly grown to produce still varietal red nectars in the north (Trentino-Alto Adige) but also sparkling white wines like outstanding Franciacorta.

LAGREIN
Lagrein is an ancient red grape found in northeastern Italy near the Austrian border where white wines usually prevail. In Trentino-Alto Adige, it is used for blends or in some of the region’s leading red varietal with a characteristically fresh, acidic structure and a slightly astringent finish. When properly made, those off-the-beaten-path wines can be impressive, strong and full-bodied with fruity flavours.

MERLOT
Merlot is a red grape native of Gironde, in the south-west of France where it produces some of the most prestigious wines in the world in the Bordeaux area. It is an early maturing grape variety that can ripen fully even in slightly cooler climates. Thus it first broke into Italy two centuries ago from the north (Friuli-Giulia, Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto) but quickly spread to the whole peninsula. In Tuscany, it is widely planted and often blended with Sangiovese to produce Super Tuscans wines. Merlot wines are fruity, smooth and easy drinking but eventually get amazing with wood ageing.

DURELLA
Also known as Cagnina, Durello, Duracino, Rabbiosa or Raboso Piava, Durella is a light-skinned white grape originating in Veneto northwestern region of Italy. This vigorous variety which name means "tough" in Italian - probably referring to its sick skin and temper - performs best on the volcanic hills where yields can be kept to a minimum. Versatile and flexible, it is used for the production of still, sparkling and dessert wines; those - referred to as Durello once vilified - are light and delicate, with slight floral and citrus notes and a bitter aftertaste. Due to their high acid and minerality, they can be stored for more than 10 years what tends to make them much smoother, aromatic and crisp.

SCHIOPPETINO
Schioppetino is a dark-skinned grape native to the far northeastern of Italy, from Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Outside Italy, this variety is almost entirely unknown but it had quite of a dramatic story, was hopefully saved from extinction in the ’70s and is now regaining respect and recognition. It is most often produced as a dry red but can also be made locally into sparkling spumante versions. Schioppetino’s wines have distinctive character; they are deeply-coloured, medium-bodied, balanced and complex, with charming violet aromatics and spicy peppery quality, Alpine-fresh acidity and few tannins.

CORVINA
Corvina - also known as Corvina Veronese and Cruina - is a red grape primarily grown in the Veneto region, northeast Italy. This dark-berried, thick-skinned variety which is low in tannins and colour extract gives fruit-driven, bright and lighter in structure red wines. It is most famous as the key grape in Valpolicella red wines but is also used in other popular wines of the region’s blends like Bardolino, Recioto and famous Amarone. 

SANGIOVESE
Sangiovese is the most widely planted red variety in Italy (roughly one in every 10 vines on the peninsula). It is a dark-berried, thin-skinned grape that tends to linger longer on the vine, taking its sweet time to ripen and mature. It is used to make a wide range of wines - medium-bodied, high-acid, firm tannin and balanced ones with fruity or savory features depending on the style. Amongst those are some of the greatest names from its Tuscany agricultural heartbeat-like Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano or "Super Tuscans". It is also grown in Lazio, Umbria, Marche, and has numerous clones (Brunello, Morellino, Sangioveto, Prugnolo Gentile etc)

MONTEPULCIANO
Montepulciano is a widely planted red grape in central and southern Italy, most notably in Abruzzo, Marche and Molise regions; it is an allowed variety in DOC wines produced in 20 of the 95 provinces throughout the peninsula but rarely found in the North because of its tendency to ripen late. It produces deeply-coloured wines with soft flavours, gentle tannins and moderate acidity which are typically best consumed in their youth and enjoyed with food. Note that it has nothing to do with a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, simply produced in the Tuscan village of Montepulciano and made from Sangiovese grapes.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognised red grape varieties. From Bordeaux - France, it has spread brilliantly to nearly every major wine region, among a broad spectrum of climates and soils. Nonetheless, wherever it comes from, a "Cab" maintains its distinctive character showcasing deep colour, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and powerful aromas (blackcurrant, spices, cedarwood etc). Part of its reputation also bears in its ability to age and develop in the bottle for several decades. In Italy, it’s got a long and controversial history through the SuperTuscans in the ’70s; some varietal styles are produced - mostly in Piedmont - but the grape is overall used blended.

PRUGNOLO GENTILE
Prugnolo Gentile is a clone of Sangiovese used exclusively in the town of Montepulciano, Tuscany for the production of the outstanding Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG and Rosso di Montepulciano DOC. In Italy, Sangiovese is the most widely planted red grape variety and Prugnolo Gentile might potentially deliver its best version, perfectly able to age.

SYRAH
Syrah is a dark-skinned red grape with debated origins - but a modern viticultural home in the French Rhône Valley - that is now grown throughout the world. In Italy, it is basically everywhere but produces better results in the central and southern warmer regions of the peninsula; it is especially found in Tuscany, as in Supertuscans blends or on its own. It can be produced in many wine styles but primarily makes powerful, complex, deep-coloured and high tannins reds which are capable of ageing and improving over decades. It displays floral notes when young and becomes peppered with time.

AGLIANICO
Aglianico is a red wine grape with class and dramatic history. For thousands of years, it was one of the most widely planted varieties throughout the south of Italy until being almost destroyed by phylloxera. Only very small quantities survived, mainly in Campania and some isolated area in Basilicata where it goes into the composition of famous Taurasi and Aglianico del Vulture wines. It is actually known to produce structured full-bodied wines with acidity and firm tannins, some minerality and musky berry flavours, that have great ageing potential.

SAGRANTINO
Sagrantino is an intensely coloured native grape which is only grown by a handful of producers in Montefalco, Umbria and is often described as elusive and mysterious. It is more full-bodied than Sangiovese - its traditional blending partner - and could actually contain the highest amount of antioxidants of any other red variety in the world. This grape reaches its apogee once made into passito concentrated wine style but its dry varietal nectar is also clearly distinctive. Tannic, dark and dense, with impressive complexity and longevity, it’s got all the potential to become the region’s most famous wine flagship.

PRIMITIVO
Primitivo is a dark-skinned grape which is grown all over the south of Italy, particularly in Puglia where it produces the best wines. Its name roughly translates as "early one" - referring to its early-ripening nature - but also as "primitive", this variety is perhaps more robust and less refined than others (even in Puglia it is actually still known as Mirr Test - ‘hard wine’). It has shed its past as a blending grape but it is now being made into distinctive, high-quality, varietal wines. Those are intense, inky, tannic, alcoholic and flavoured.

ZINFANDEL
Zinfandel - affectionately known as "Zin" - is a variety of dark-skinned grape with high sugar content grown mainly in California, where it was introduced during the 19th-century; there in the US, it produces various wine styles such as a robust dry red, a popular semi-sweet rosé called White Zinfandel and port-style hearty fortified wines. A long and controversial DNA analysis at the beginning of the 2000 decade finally confirmed that it is identical to Italy’s Primitivo cultivated in Puglia. Depending on the terroir and its ripeness level, it makes fruity fragrant nectars in cool areas or spicier ones in warmer zones.

NEGROAMARO
Negroamaro is a dark-skinned grape which is grown all over Puglia, in southern Italy. 
This variety - one of the more ancient one - has a high alcohol content but few distracting floral or fruity aromas what makes it perfect for blends with Malvasia Nera, Susumaniello, Primitivo or Sangiovese. It is valued for its deep colour, medium-full tannins and dark berry fruit flavours and used to produce different types of wine, from complex reds Riserva to sparkling rosés, dry or sweet whites. For the record, the 1st rosé bottled in Italy in1943 was actually a Negroamaro.

NERO D’AVOLA
Nero d'Avola is the most famous red grape in Sicily where it is widely planted all over the Island. It’s a thick-skinned variety that thrives in hotter and drier climates, initially meant to be blended but recently used for varietal wines. It’s got high tannins, medium acidity and full body. The wines it makes exhibit kind of similar fruity characteristics to Syrah ones. Depending on production methods, they can be dense and dark, stored in oak barrels and suitable for ageing, or young and fresh.

NERELLO MASCALESE
Nerello Mascalese is a rare dark-skinned grape-producing fine light to medium-bodied wines with amazing reminiscences of Pinot Noir; it mainly grows on the slopes and volcanic soils of Mount Etna in Sicily, thousand metres above sea level, what makes it unique in terms of viticultural features and terroir. It produces nectars with character, complexity and a kind of lightness that are getting each time more popular amongst the wine enthusiasts global community. These tend to be fresh and exhibit fruity, herbaceous flavours, mineral and earthy notes.

GRENACHE
Grenache is quite a versatile red grape and one of the most widely planted varieties in the world. It thrives in hot, dry vineyards and is mainly grown extensively in southern France and Spain but also in Australia and in the US; in Italy, more than anything, it has been known for centuries as Cannonau, one of the principal grapes in Sardinia’s deeply coloured, full-bodied red wines. Naturally high in alcohol, it is often blended but produces heartwarming varietal reds - which exhibit rich, spicy, berry fruit flavours - and makes excellent rosés and dessert wines as well.

ARNEIS
Arneis is a delicate white grape that originated - and is still primarily grown - in southern Piedmont. This small-berried traditional variety - which names means "little rascal" - is a troublesome one for winemakers due to its erratic ripening habits and temperamental nature during fermentation. Like many others across Europe, it was once nearly extinct but has been rescued by rare producers; it is now thriving especially in the sandy chalky soils of the Roero hills… just across the Tanaro River from Barolo, what makes it referred to as Barolo Bianco. It produces vivid and complex fragrant wines, with distinctive apricot and tangerine aromas and generous flavors.

CORTESE
Cortese is a native grape predominately grown in the southeast of Piedmont where it has long been considered as the region’s finest white variety. It is also often credited as introducing the world to Italian white wine. Cortese - known for its bracingly high acidity and ability to retain freshness - can produce elegant and balanced wines to be sipped fresh and young or once aged in a bottle to add the depth and complexity. It is most famous for its role in the crisp lime-scented wines of Gavi.

MOSCATO
Belonging to the huge Muscat family (200 sub-varieties reported!), Moscato is a prestigious and ancient grape used in winemaking since the times of the ancient Greeks. Referred to as Muscat in France and Moscatel in Spain and Portugal, it is one of the most worldwide spread varietal coming in white to red variations; but Italy produces more Moscato than any other country. With its musky aroma, it’s got a great versatility giving dry, medium, sweet, sparkling, or dessert wine - and is also served as a table fruit. It has low acidity and is mostly not good at aging for more than four years (except for fortified Muscat).

SAUVIGNON BLANC
Sauvignon - as simply named in Italy - is a white grape that originated from western France and now successfully planted all over the world. It is grown in almost all Italian regions but the best quality is found in northern, cool, and sunny sub-alpine slopes of Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia where it is used blended with native varieties like Friulano or on its own. It is a straightforward varietal – flavors are rarely hidden away in the background - which aromas range from grass, nettles, blackcurrant leaf, and asparagus to green apples and gooseberries.

PINOT BLANC
Pinot Blanc is a versatile white grape which is a mutation of Pinot Gris (itself a mutation of Pinot Noir) and originates in Burgundy in France. It is widely planted in northwest Italy (Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia) where it is known as Pinot Bianco. It is used in the production of still, sparkling - amongst which a remarkable Franciacorta, Italy's answer to Champagne - and sweet dessert wines. It makes medium to full-bodied styles of wine with good acidity and potential interesting response to oak maturation.

RIESLING
Riesling is a light-skinned, aromatic grape of German origin which is considered as one of the world's noblest white variety together with Chardonnay. If some Riesling wines are among the finest sweet ones, the majority are either dry or off-dry. In Italy, it gets great results in the northern regions of the peninsula (mainly Trentino Alto Adige but also Friuli-Giulia, Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont) where it makes either still or sparkling wines that happen to be refreshing, crisp and fragrant with pronounced acidity.

PINOT GRIGIO
Pinot Grigio is the Italian name for French Pinot Gris - a white mutation of the Pinot grape family - mainly produced in the mountainous regions of northeastern Italy (Friuli-Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto). The grapes might be kind of greyish hence the name. It is grown to make either light or medium-bodied dry white wine with relatively high acidity and mouthwatering citrus, peach, and floral aromas; in many regions, it also goes in frizzante or spumante common wines even if it is notably absent from the country's most serious sparkling styles. It is intended for consumption within a year or two. 

FRIULANO
Friulano has been known for ages as Tocai Friulano before the EU bans it. It is a white grape thought to be native to France - where it is still referred to as Sauvignonasse or Sauvignon Vert - and mainly grown in Italy in the northeastern region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
It makes dry varietal wines ranging from light and crisp to richer and full-bodied, with low tannins and high acidity. They are used to be fruit-driven with lively acidity and a touch of minerals.

GEWURZTRAMINER
The origins of Gewürztraminer - or Traminer Aromatico - are hard to trace. The area of South Tyrol/Alto-Adige has passed back and forth between Germany and Italy throughout history. Thus “Gewürz” means “spice” and Traminer (or “Termeno”) is the name of the village where the varietal might have been first identified before spreading up through Germany and northeastern France. This grape produces some of the world's most distinctive white wines. It’s got a deep golden colo due to some remaining pigments of its pink skin and an unforgettable scent. Lychee, tropical fruit, rose notes are typical on the nose; a full texture, low acidity, stone-fruit, and spicy flavors on the palate.

SILVANER
Silvaner is a neutral-scented white grape mostly and widely grown in western Germany (Franken area) and eastern France (Alsace) where it’s actually called Sylvaner and takes on a richer character. This is an old variety which have suffered several setbacks as well as golden ages and which still remains quite underrated nowadays. In Italy, it can be found in Alto-Adige, in the north of the peninsula where it has become a true specialty of the Isarco Valley. The wine it makes there is refreshing, typically much lighter and crisper than its germanic counterparts.

RIBOLLA GIALLA
Ribolla - or Ribolla Gialla, not to be confused with the less common and less expressive Ribolla Verde clone - is a white grape variety native to the northeastern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It can be blended but is mostly used to produce dry still varietal wines characterized by their firm acidity, fruity notes, and a faint floral aromatic profile; occasionally it also makes some good sparkling, off-dry and oxidized orange nectars. 

PICOLIT
Picolit is a glorious native white grape with an illustrious past. It is used in the production of sweet late-harvest and passito wine in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the golden nectar which was served to the clergy and nobility of northern Italy for centuries. Benefiting from warm days and chilly nights, it produces sugar and acidity-balanced dessert wines often compared to Sauternes. They display delicate stone-fruit aromas and are usually consumed as meditation wines (vino da meditazione), after dinner.
 
MALVASIA
Malvasia is an ancient family of grapes that includes an array of noble varieties in different countries; it has a strong historical and viticultural link with islands where some of its best examples actually come from (like Madeira in Portugal or Canary Islands). In Italy there are more than 10 distinctive forms of Malvasia, planted all over the country; they can produce any color of wine, in dry, sparkling, and sweet styles. If it is commonly blended with Trebbiano or even vinified into passito, its best varietal dry wines are from Friuli-Venezia Giulia. They show light stone-fruit flavors and a pronounced floral bouquet.

GLERA
Glera is a green-skinned variety that has been grown for hundreds of years in the Veneto and Friuli regions. It is the principal grape of Prosecco frizzante or spumante sparkling wine; and it was actually still called Prosecco Tondo grape until 2009 when it was decided that the name should be reserved exclusively for wines covered by official appellations. This highly productive semi-aromatic grape ripens late in the season, has high acidity and a fairly neutral palate. The wines it makes are refreshing, light-bodied, and low in alcohol (8.5% minimum), with aromas of white fruits and flowers.

GARGANEGA
Garganega is one of Italy's most widely planted grape. This white wine variety is used in the famous wines of Soave and Gambellara in Veneto, northern Italy; as revealed by DNA analysis, it also occurs to be the same variety as Grecanico Dorato… 1000 kilometers away in the southern island of Sicily! It usually makes pale-yellow medium-bodied dry wines with delicate fruity and floral aromas and good acidity. In addition, it produces sweet luscious nectars made from dried, late-harvested grapes called Recioto.

CHARDONNAY
Chardonnay is a versatile grape and nothing else but the world's most famous white wine one. It is a green-skinned variety that probably originated in the Burgundy wine region in France which is now widely planted all over the globe. It has been grown in many Italian regions for decades (Lombardy, Umbria, Tuscany, Puglia, Sicily…) but the best examples are found in Piedmont. It is produced in both blends and varietal wines; has fruity flavors; may be oak-aged or not; but maybe more than for any other variety, winemaking techniques, and climate play a major role in its aromatic complexity. If most famous for still, dry nectars, it is also used in outstanding sparkling wines (Champagne and Franciacorta), usually paired with Pinot Noir. 

VERDICCHIO
Verdicchio is a white grape mainly cultivated in the Marche region of central Italy which could have originated in Veneto where it is known as Trebbiano di Soave; nowadays anyway, its spiritual home is in the hills along the Adriatic coast. Its name derives from verde (or "green") and refers to the slight green/yellow hue the wines it makes can have. It is a high-acidity and versatile variety; it is used to produce both light easy-drinking table nectars or more complex age-worthy ones; still but also sweet straw or sparkling wines.

VERMENTINO
Vermentino is a thin-skinned white grape that thrives in warmer climate regions like around the western Mediterranean and grows quite extensively throughout Italy. It’s called Vermentino in Tuscany or Sardinia (where it has risen to become the island's key white grape) but Pigato on the dramatic cliffside vineyards of Liguria and Favorita in Piedmont. It is mainly used to make refreshing and saline mineral dry wines but eventually some sweet Passito dessert wine in Liguria. A dark-skinned variant (Vermentino Nero) can be found almost exclusively in Liguria and Tuscany.

GRECHETTO
Grechetto is a white grape of Greek origins that is planted throughout central Italy and quite intensively in Umbria and Emilia-Romagna. In fact, it properly refers to two distinct varieties - Grechetto di Orvieto and Grechetto di Todi - which even growers, winemakers, and retailers simply refer to as "Grechetto", adding more confusion. It is primarily a blending grape (and both are actually often blended together) even if some light-bodied and high in acidity varietal wine might also be produced. 

PECORINO
Pecorino is a light-skinned delicately pale white grape grown in Italy's eastern coastal regions. Like many native varieties in Italy, by the mid-20th Century, it was thought extinct but finally saved by bold winemakers later on. Since then, it has expanded from Marche and Abruzzo to Umbria, Liguria, and Tuscany and does particularly well at higher altitudes with good exposure to sunlight and cooling breezes. As both a sensitive and expressive varietal, it reflects the terroir. It’s got high acidity and high sugar content which makes balanced and crisp dry wines, great to be tasted either young or aged.

VERNACCIA
Vernaccia is a name applied to a profusion of light-skinned white grapes varieties around Italy, most of which are fully unrelated to each other (maybe because of the Latin “vernaculus” simply referring to something common belonging to a place…). These grapes are blended (with Trebbiano for instance) or used for varietal wines. Vernaccia is most commonly associated with the Tuscan variety of Vernaccia di San Gimignano; it then produces crisp wine with good acidity and citrus fruit which is mostly designed to be drunk young. There are also some dark-skinned Vernaccia grapes - Vernaccia Nera - in Marche.

TREBBIANO
Trebbiano is a name applied to a confusing group of white grape varieties originating in Italy which cannot really be called a "family" since they might share some traits but not always the DNA.
In its many forms, it covers more than a third of Italy’s entire DOC white wine production. It has spread from the peninsula all over European wine countries, most notably France where Ugni Blanc makes Cognac and Armagnac. It produces dry and refreshing whites with a delicate bouquet and crisp acidity, the best known amongst them being Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, the equivalent to red Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.

FIANO
Fiano is a high-quality white grape cultivated in southern Italy, mainly in Campania and Basilicata (it thrives in the volcanic soils of the Apennine Mountains) but also spread in Puglia and recently in Sicily. It is a rich strongly flavored variety used mainly as a varietal wine that is particularly impacted by terroir. Thus the Fiano wines range in style from taut and mineral to nutty and rich; they can be fresh and easy drinking nectars or have great complexity, aromatic finesse, and aging potential. While best known for its dry wines, this grape is also made into dessert wines, usually through the traditional Italian method of air-drying.

FALANGHINA
Falanghina (or Falanghina Greco) is an ancient white grape with a strong character which is getting each time more fashionable. Most of it is grown in Campania particularly just north of Naples where it thrives in the volcanic soils around Mount Vesuvius and the warm Mediterranean climate. There is a little production also in Puglia and Abruzzo but no international one yet. It is often blended or produced as a sweet passito but its varietal expressions are becoming popular. The wine it makes tend to be straw-colored, basically pale, with fresh citrus-blossom aromas and fruity delicate palate.

GRECO
Together with Fiano and Falanghina, Greco is one of the white grapes that distinguish the southern Campania region. The wines it gives are relatively deep in color, have a profound nose and medium to high acidity making them tart and crisp. The best ones can vary from fresh and herbal to full-bodied with hints of stone fruit (peach etc); for instance, the outstanding Greco di Tufo DOCG can also bottle-age to advantage.

GRILLO
Grillo - or Riddu or Rossese Bianco - is a white grape grown in Sicily which popularity has broadened to become one of the most appreciated varieties in just a decade or so. Unlike other Sicilian ones, it is not an ancient grape but a crossing between Catarratto and Zibibbo. It is vigorous and withstands hot and dry weather. It makes wines that exhibit different personalities depending on the winemaking techniques: a modern approach will result in fruity and easy to drink wines while an old school one will give richer, earthier and spicier nectars. It also goes in fortified Marsala. 

CARRICANTE
Carricante is the ancient white grape variety mainly grown in eastern Sicily that goes into Etna DOC wines. Its vines are well adapted to the high diurnal temperature variations characterizing the climate on the slopes of the volcano. This clearly distinctive variety is known for its marked acidity and high yields (Carica actually meaning "load" in Italian). It produces refreshing, straw-yellow, lightly fragrant wines with a broad range of citrus aromas alongside cooling herbal notes… and even some striking saline flavor for the best of them!

ZIBIBBO
Zibibbo - also known as Muscat of Alexandria - is a white variety that is widely planted in Mediterranean regions and more often consumed as table raisins than wine. In Italy, it is mainly grown in Sicily and its islands like Pantelleria where it turns remarkable once produced as a passito dried-grapes sweet wine; the Zibibbo vine there is actually registered as UNESCO Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2014. Once blended with Pinot Grigio, it makes an uncomplicated aromatic dry wine that combines the grapey, floral aromas from the Muscat family, and Pinot Grigio's fruit-driven character.