Italy
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In a good year, Italy is the world’s top wine-producing country by volume (with France also claiming that distinction at times), and has a rich winemaking history dating back to the 8th century BC. Greek colonists were the first to establish viticulture in Italy, and production later flourished with the rise of the Roman Empire. Today, Italy accounts for nearly a fifth of the world’s wine production, and the country’s diverse landscape and latitudinal range — from the Alps in the north to within a short nautical jaunt of Africa in the south — lends itself to a variety of different styles. Among Italy’s most-celebrated styles are Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti, made primarily with Sangiovese from the Tuscany region, and Barolo and Barbaresco from the Piedmont region, produced exclusively from Nebbiolo. Italy also produces some terrific whites. Besides Pinot Grigio, which is the most well-known and commercially successful white varietal from Italy, other grapes that stand out are Trebbiano, Verdicchio, Vernaccia and Moscato — the grape used in Italy’s most famous sparkling wine, Asti. |
United States
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The history of US winemaking dates back to the 1600s, when colonists planted vineyards in Virginia and, soon after, Pennsylvania. Early attempts met with considerable hardship, however, as settlers didn't care for the taste of some of the native American grapes and European vines shipped in were often destroyed by pests and vine disease. It wasn't until the 1800s that commercially successful wineries started to take hold in the U.S., only to have their growth stunted by more vine epidemics in the late 1800s, and later by Prohibition. Following the repeal of Prohibition, US winemaking gradually recovered. In the 1970s and 80s, California wineries started to make waves in the international market. Today the United States is one of the world's foremost wine producers, ranking behind only France, Italy and Spain in total wine production. The vast majority of US wine production comes from the West Coast, and the vast majority of that is from California wineries, which produce almost nine out of every 10 bottles made in the U.S. Washington and Oregon wineries are also significant producers, and New York wineries are beginning to establish a reputation for fine wines, with Finger Lakes wines and Niagara Escarpment wines earning critical acclaim. |





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