Italian Wines

The 28th Annual GrapeFest® will be featuring a fabulous selection of premium Italian wines at the four-day festival.  Italian wines will be featured at the International Wine Pavilion located on the parking lot of 520 Main (Jake's Hamburgers parking lot). This pavilion will also feature wines from Krems, Austria and Parras de la Fuente, Mexico.

Italy's Wine History

Grape growing in Italy dates back thousands of years. Around 200 B.C., the Italian wine making industry began to dramatically expand which created the opportunity for many coastal wineries to develop. These vineyards became hugely successful, to the point that Italy ultimately became an import centre for provincial wines.

Italy's Wine Regions

Italy is home to 20 wine regions including Aosta Valley, Piemonte, Liguria, Lombardia, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Friuli-Venezia, Giulia, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Toscana, Marche, Umbria, Lazio, Sardinia, Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, Calabriaand Sicily. Italy's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has documented more than 350 kinds of grapes grown in Italy. 

Italy's Annual Wine Production

Depending on the vintage, modern day Italy is either the largest or second-largest producer of wine in the world. Its contribution is about 45-50 million hectoliters per year, and represents about 1/3 of global production. One hectoliter is equal to 100 liters.