Ah, Italy! One of my favorite wine countries to visit!
Obviously, condensing the entirety of Italian wine into a handful of lessons is impossible. Likewise, it’s too easy to overwhelm with too much detail. There are so many website that give too much information, that it’s hard for the average consumer to know what is important to know or not. What we want to do here is cover what you’re most likely to run into a wine shop, simple as that.
One more thing: always have Italian wine with food. It’s designed with a bite of good acidity, and when you pair it with fats and proteins (even just a wedge of cheese) the flavors come alive. Most Italian wines are not meant to be consumed on their own.
Italy Wine Map resources
Wine Folly: Map of Italian Wine Regions
Wine Enthusiast: A Beginner’s Guide to Italian Wine (with a good general map of the ‘states’ of Italy)
Cellar Tours: Italian Wine Regions Map
More links for learning
Dummies: Italian Wine for Dummies Cheat Sheet
The Spruce Eats: Understanding Italian Wine Labels
Wine Folly: How to read Italian Wine Labels