Lambrusco (say Lahm-BROO-sko) is a family of grapes.
Region
Emilia Romagna
Tannin
Body
Grape Varieties
Italian Grape Varieties
Browse all 73 grape guidesWhich Italian grape should you try?
Start with a wine you know, then compare its grape with another from the same region. The guide below connects grape names to the wines on the label. Use the directory to explore their taste, food matches and regional homes in more detail.
Red grapes: compare fruit, freshness and tannin
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Sangiovese: Tuscany's grape behind Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino. Look for cherry, fresh acidity and dried herbs. -
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Barbera: try Barbera d'Asti or d'Alba from Piedmont. Its juicy cherry fruit, bright acidity and gentler tannins offer a useful contrast to Nebbiolo. -
Montepulciano: look for Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for ripe, generous fruit. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a different wine, made chiefly from Sangiovese in Tuscany.
White grapes: compare crispness, texture and aroma
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Verdicchio: the grape of Castelli di Jesi and Matelica in the Marche. Expect a crisp white with citrus and almond notes. -
Vermentino: found in Sardinia, Liguria and Tuscany. Try it for citrus, herbal scents and a refreshing finish. -
Fiano: closely linked to Campania. Apple, hazelnut and honey notes offer another direction to explore.
A grape name does not tell you the whole style
Glera is the main grape in Prosecco. Sangiovese appears in several named Tuscan wines. Place and winemaking matter alongside the variety, so check the individual wine before choosing a bottle. Our Italian wine types guide lets you browse by colour, bubbles and sweetness.
Further reading: The Wine Society's Italian grape guide.
Find a grape guide
All Italian grape varieties
Primitivo (“pree-mee-TEE-vo”) is one of the most popular red wines of Southern Italy.
Region
Puglia
Appellation
Primitivo di Manduria DOC
Tannin
Body
Pinot Grigio [pee-no-gree-jo] is a white grape variety from Northern Italy.
Region
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Acidity
Body
The Carricante grape [Car-ri-can-te] is a Sicilian white grape variety, deeply rooted in the volcanic terroir around Mount Etna.
Region
Sicily
Acidity
Body
Falanghina (“fah-lawn -GHEE-nah”) is a white grape variety of Balkan origin.
Region
Molise
Appellation
Costa d'Amalfi DOC
Acidity
Body
Grillo (say GREE-loh) is a native grape, widespread in western Sicily.
Region
Sicily
Appellation
Marsala DOC
Acidity
Body
Barbera (“bar-BAY-rah”) is one of the most approachable red wines in Italy.
Region
Piedmont
Appellation
Barbera d'Alba DOC
Tannin
Body
Nero d'Avola (Neh-roh DAH-voh-lah) is the most widespread grape variety in Sicily.
Region
Sicily
Appellation
Sicilia DOC
Tannin
Body
Ribolla Gialla is the ancient white grape of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Region
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Acidity
Body
Sangiovese (san-jo-vay-zeh) is the undisputed king of red wines in central Italy.
Region
Tuscany
Appellation
Rubicone IGT
Tannin
Body
Montepulciano (Mon-teh-pool-chee-ah-noh) is the second most widely planted red grape variety in Italy, after Sangiovese.
Region
Abruzzo
Appellation
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC
Tannin
Body
Vermentino (vair-men-TEE-no) is an aromatic white grape variety.
Region
Sardinia
Appellation
Vermentino di Sardegna DOC
Acidity
Body
Aglianico [ahl-YAH-nee-ko] is an ancient grape variety from southern Italy.
Region
Basilicata
Appellation
Aglianico del Vulture DOC
Tannin
Body
Nebbiolo (Nay-bee-OH-lo) is a native Italian grape variety grown in the northern regions.
Region
Piedmont
Appellation
Barolo DOCG
Tannin
Body
Pignoletto (“pee-yoh-LAY-toh”) is a dry, aromatic Italian white wine.
Region
Emilia Romagna
Acidity
Body
Pecorino (peh-koh-REE-noh) is a grape that captures the essence of Italy's heartland.
Region
Abruzzo
Acidity
Body
Glera is the white grape behind Prosecco, Italy's most celebrated sparkling wine.
Region
Veneto
Appellation
Prosecco DOC
Acidity
Body
Nerello Mascalese [Neh-rel-loh Mas-ka-leh-seh] is a must-try for UK wine lovers.
Region
Sicily
Appellation
Etna DOC
Tannin
Body
Arneis is Piedmont's revived white grape.
Region
Piedmont
Acidity
Body
Bombino Bianco is a white grape from Puglia's Adriatic side, above all around Castel del Monte.
Region
Puglia
Appellation
Pagadebit di Romagna DOC
Acidity
Body
Bombino Nero is Puglia's late-ripening red grape, and it makes serious rosato.
Region
Puglia
Appellation
Castel del Monte Bombino Nero DOCG
Tannin
Body
Cabernet Franc is the quieter half of the Bordeaux pair.
Region
Tuscany
Tannin
Body
Cabernet Sauvignon is a red grape born in Bordeaux, and it reshaped modern Italian wine.
Region
Tuscany
Appellation
Bolgheri DOC
Tannin
Body
Grenache is a thin-skinned red grape grown across the Mediterranean.
Region
Sardinia
Appellation
Cannonau di Sardegna DOC
Tannin
Body
Catarratto is the white grape that built Sicily.
Region
Sicily
Acidity
Body
Chardonnay is a white grape with a clear Italian role.
Region
Lombardy
Appellation
Franciacorta DOCG
Acidity
Body
Cortese is the white grape of Gavi DOCG.
Region
Piedmont
Appellation
Gavi/Cortese di Gavi DOCG
Acidity
Body
Corvina is the main red grape of Verona's wine country.
Region
Veneto
Appellation
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
Tannin
Body
Corvinone is the big-berried red grape of Valpolicella that everyone took for a large Corvina until 1993.
Region
Veneto
Tannin
Body
Dolcetto is Piedmont's everyday red grape.
Region
Piedmont
Appellation
Pornassio/Ormeasco di Pornassio DOC
Tannin
Body
Erbamat is an ancient white grape from the Brescia hills of Lombardy.
Region
Lombardy
Acidity
Body
Fiano is the golden white grape behind Campania's benchmark Fiano di Avellino DOCG.
Region
Campania
Acidity
Body
Frappato is the pale, perfumed red of south-eastern Sicily.
Region
Sicily
Tannin
Body
Friulano is the benchmark dry white of Friuli Venezia Giulia, in Italy's far northeast.
Region
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Acidity
Body
Garganega is the ancient white grape behind Soave.
Region
Veneto
Appellation
Soave DOC
Acidity
Body
Gewürztraminer is Alto Adige's lychee-scented aromatic white.
Region
Trentino-Alto Adige
Acidity
Body
Grecanico is western Sicily's tangy golden-skinned white.
Region
Sicily
Acidity
Body
Greco is the structured, smoky white of Campania.
Region
Campania
Appellation
Greco di Bianco DOC
Acidity
Body
Greco Nero is a red grape from Calabria, Italy's far south.
Region
Calabria
Tannin
Body
Lagrein is the dark red grape of Bolzano, in the Alto Adige valleys of northern Italy.
Region
Trentino-Alto Adige
Tannin
Body
Malvasia Bianca di Basilicata is the native white grape of Lucania.
Region
Basilicata
Acidity
Body
Malvasia di Candia is a white grape with two faces.
Region
Lazio
Acidity
Body
Malvasia di Lipari is the golden-skinned white grape of the Aeolian islands.
Region
Sicily
Acidity
Body
Malvasia Istriana is the native white grape of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Region
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Acidity
Body
Malvasia Nera di Basilicata is a native black grape.
Region
Basilicata
Tannin
Body
Malvasia Puntinata is the aromatic white grape behind Frascati DOC, Cannellino di Frascati DOCG and Roma DOC.
Region
Lazio
Acidity
Body
Mantonico Bianco is one of Calabria's oldest white grapes, at home on the Ionian coast around the town of Bianco.
Region
Calabria
Acidity
Body
Marsigliana Nera is a rare red grape from Calabria, grown along the Tyrrhenian coast since ancient times.
Region
Calabria
Tannin
Body
Merlot is a red grape with a serious Italian footprint.
Region
Tuscany
Appellation
Suvereto DOCG
Tannin
Body
Molinara is the pale, sharp third grape of Valpolicella and Bardolino, the one that gave the old blends their freshness.
Region
Veneto
Tannin
Body
Moscato is the white aromatic grape behind Moscato d'Asti DOCG and Asti Spumante DOCG in southern Piedmont.
Region
Piedmont
Appellation
Asti DOCG
Acidity
Body
Müller-Thurgau is a white grape that found its truest Italian home among the high-altitude vineyards of Trentino-Alto Adige.
Region
Trentino-Alto Adige
Acidity
Body
Negroamaro is the dark, warming red of Puglia's Salento, the sun-baked heel of Italy.
Region
Puglia
Tannin
Body
Nerello Cappuccio is the softer, darker partner to Nerello Mascalese on Mount Etna.
Region
Sicily
Appellation
Palizzi IGT
Tannin
Body
Pinot Bianco is northern Italy's quiet benchmark white.
Region
Trentino-Alto Adige
Appellation
Alto Adige/Südtirol DOC
Acidity
Body
Pinot Nero is the Italian name for Pinot Noir, the great red grape of Burgundy.
Region
Trentino-Alto Adige
Tannin
Body
Prëmetta, also called Prié Rouge, is a native red grape of Italy's Valle d'Aosta.
Region
Aosta Valley
Tannin
Body
Prié Blanc is the lone native white grape of Valle d'Aosta.
Region
Aosta Valley
Acidity
Body
Riesling is a white grape from Germany's Rhine that has made a second home in Italy's mountains.
Region
Trentino-Alto Adige
Acidity
Body
Rondinella is the quiet partner in almost every Valpolicella, Ripasso, Amarone and Bardolino.
Region
Veneto
Tannin
Body
Sagrantino is Umbria's great red grape, grown in five hill towns around Montefalco and almost nowhere else.
Region
Umbria
Appellation
Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG
Tannin
Body
Sauvignon Blanc is the sharp, green-scented white behind Friuli's Collio and Isonzo bottlings.
Region
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Acidity
Body
Schiava is the light red grape of Alto Adige, sold under its German name, Vernatsch, on most labels.
Region
Trentino-Alto Adige
Tannin
Body
Susumaniello is Puglia's own black grape, born in the countryside around Brindisi.
Region
Puglia
Tannin
Body
Syrah is the dark, structured red of the northern Rhone.
Region
Tuscany
Tannin
Body
Teroldego is the dark, velvety red grape of the Campo Rotaliano, a gravel plain in Trentino where the Noce meets the Adige.
Region
Trentino-Alto Adige
Appellation
Teroldego Rotaliano DOC
Tannin
Body
Trebbiano Abruzzese is the white grape behind Abruzzo's most distinctive whites.
Region
Abruzzo
Acidity
Body
Trebbiano Toscano is the workhorse white grape of central Italy.
Region
Tuscany
Appellation
Valdichiana Toscana DOC
Acidity
Body
Turbiana is the white grape of Lugana DOC.
Region
Lombardy
Appellation
Lugana DOC
Acidity
Body
Verdicchio is the pale straw-gold white grape behind Marche's two benchmark whites.
Region
Marche
Acidity
Body
Vernaccia is the white grape of San Gimignano, the Tuscan hill town with the towers.
Region
Tuscany
Appellation
Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG
Acidity
Body
Viognier is the golden-skinned white grape of France's northern Rhone, and Italy grows it on purpose.
Region
Tuscany
Acidity
Body
Zibibbo is the aromatic white grape of Sicily's far south.
Region
Sicily
Appellation
Pantelleria DOC
Acidity
Body
Common questions
Barolo is a wine from Piedmont made from Nebbiolo grapes. Compare the Nebbiolo guide with the Barolo guide to see how the grape and place fit together.
No. Montepulciano is a separate red grape, closely linked to Abruzzo. The Tuscan wine Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is made chiefly from Sangiovese.
Glera is the main grape used for Prosecco. Prosecco is the wine name, rather than the current name of the grape.