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Dreaming of La Dolce Vita? Give these books a try.

If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of Italian wine, whether for study or pleasure, this curated collection from Académie du Vin Library and Classic Wine Library is an indispensable guide.

There is a concept called ‘imagined Italy’ – the ‘Italy’ of pasta and pizza and probably at least one or two hand gestures. The reality is that Italy is much more a collection of regions than a single country. Its kingdoms and duchies were staunchly independent until the Risorgimento, the unification of the peninsula of 1861. Ask an Italian where they are from and the chances are they won’t say ‘Italian’. They might say they are ‘Napoletano’, or ‘Romano’, ‘di Toscana’ or ‘Sardo’ (Sardinian).

This is what is known as campanillismo – a term which refers to the strong affiliation to one’s home territory, from the word ‘campanile’, or bell tower, which you find in every village or town. Every region (often, every village) has its language, culture, customs and tradition, and its own food and wine. Geography and weather varies so much from south to north, it’s only natural to find such divergence. From the snowy alps of northern Piedmont or the Dolomites of the Veneto, down to the sunbaked vineyards of Sicily and everything else in between, there is something for everyone, stuffed full of regional pride.

 

If you were to drink wine from just one country for the rest of your life, Italy would be a strong contender. That’s not just for its wealth of grape varieties – approximately 500 are in commercial production while over 2000 are recognised - Italy has myriad wine styles. Where wine in Italy was once simply ‘pane e vino’ (bread and wine) it has since graced the world stage with outstanding examples of quality. From north to south, sparkling wine, excellent table wine, world class icons, deliciously drinkable rosé, and a plethora of dessert wines, you’re spoilt for choice.

Two books on Tuscany on a wooden table

On Tuscany - From Brunello to Bolgheri, Wine Tales From the Heart of Italy, compiled by Susan Keevil, documents the beating (wine) heart of Italy, known for its rolling hills, long-loved ‘fiasco’ bottles of Chianti in their basket-like casing. Tuscany is a region of reinvention as much as tradition. Today it is known for the Super-Tuscans that changed the way the world viewed Italian wine, instigated by families that have kept their commanding roles as dynasties on a global stage (Antinori, Frescobaldi, Biondi Santi, Incisa della Rochetta). The region continues to develop and innovate - with 11 new ‘UGA’ terroir zones in Chianti alone, indigenous grapes showing themselves as points of interest, and more ‘youthful’ zones like coastal Bolgheri where new producers and legacy holders thrive intertwined. If Tuscany was once the darling of the British, so much so it was monikered ‘Chiantishire’ - Paul Caputo draws a picture of all the must-visit sites here and beyond, through a lens of where to stay and eat in Tuscany: The Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide.

The Wines of Piemonte - by David Way documents this former regal province, as a hymn to the most noble of all grape varieties - Nebbiolo - so named after the ‘nebbia’ or fog that colours this now UNESCO rated region in the early mornings in a hauntingly beautiful way, especially during harvest time. From the wines and winemakers that arrive from this region, still no less highly regarded for top Barolos and Barbarescos, he also covers lesser-known varieties and the stories that bind them. Settle in for a read with a glass of celebratory sparkling Asti spumante from these Italian most northerly quarters, often served here with a hunk of panettone.

Flanked by Lake Garda and taking in the winding streets of its romantic capital (thanks to a certain Shakespeare play), Amarone - and the fine wines of Verona - captures the rise and evolution of these bold, inky wines, contrasted with Soave - the region’s other much loved, volcanic white wine, each challenging former perceptions of what they once were, and providing reason to revisit their styles for anyone who needs their minds or palates refreshing.

In Fiona Morrison MW’s 10 Great Wine Families discover what lies behind the distinguished lineages of Frescobaldi and Gaja that illuminate this peninsula from north to south - from medieval times to modern day. Viking in the Vineyard gives an rambunctious account of Peter Vinding-Diers, of similar aristocratic background, but different origin. This Danish ‘fish out of water’ and flying winemaker recounts his experience of relocating to Sicily to establish a winery, amongst other blockbuster-style adventures that sees him travel the wine world through places including South Africa, Bordeaux and Bulgaria.

Such a diverse community is, of course, what unites wine drinkers – as explored in Sangiovese, Lambrusco and Other Vine Stories  – through the rich histories of grapes like Sangiovese, Ribolla, Primitivo, and Moscato, illustrating the complex interaction between human communities and vines, in a journey that reveals humorous stories of migration, conquest, exploration, and cross-cultural exchange.

You can explore our full collection of Italian wine books here:

Italian Wine Books

Coming soon:

Italianity by Jessica Dupuy and The Wines of Tuscany by Andrea Eby (Classic Wine Library series) coming this autumn.

Sophie McLean is a freelance wine and travel writer, since getting the bug for all things associated while studying Spanish and Italian at Bristol University. Nearly twenty years later she has worked with some of the wine world’s most interesting and respected brands, and has travelled the world aiming to foster connection through a mutual love of what she will always dub ‘geography, bottled’.

Related Products

  • On Tuscany Cover Image

    On Tuscany

    On Tuscany

    Various authors, Compiled by Susan Keevil

    £35.00
    £35.00

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