Italy

Italy is an Aladdin's cave ' little jewels of wines of all hues and styles all over, from Sicily to the Alps.

The ancient Greeks called Italy "Oenotria"- "wine-land"- and its inhabitants are today as passionate about their wines as ever. Hand in hand with this passion goes an intense commitment to local styles. As a result Italy produces a wider, more fascinating range of individual, characterful and even idiosyncratic wines than anywhere else in the world.

While Italy has its own DOC system (similar to the French AOC) many exiting, innovative and high quality wines, once simply labelled Vini da Tavola (Table Wines) have now gained recognition as IGT or Indicazione Geografica Tipica. This denotes wines of quality, true to their region but generally not adhering to the specific grape types insisted upon under the DOC legislation.

A little effort to explore Italy's fabulous wines will be amply rewarded. We work hard to bring you the best and the simplest, most enjoyable, way to get to know the country's wines is, quite simply, to drink them!