Italian wines love food. To Americans, the most famous wine region in Italy is Tuscany, the home of Chianti. There are, of course, many other important regions in Italy. The Piedmont, located in northwestern Italy, is the home of the Nebbiolo grape. Two of the important wines produced there are the ageworthy Barolo and Barbaresco. On the lighter side, the Piedmont is also known for its bright and delicious sparkling wines and frizzante (lightly sparkling) wines, Moscato d’Asti and Asti Spumante.

The Tre Venezia is home to three important wine areas. The Veneto grows noteworthy wines, including Soave, Prosecco, and Valpolicella. Friuli Venezia Giulia, also part of this region, is known for making amazing white wines such as Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, and Sauvignon Blanc. Trentino Alto Adige, the furthest north of the three, is also known for some incredible white wines and attention-grabbing reds made from indigenous grapes such as Teroldego and Lagrein.

Southern Italy is playing an increasingly important role in winemaking as the quality of its great value wines grows. Campania and Apulia are producing some noteworthy reds. Sicily, an island off Italy’s southern coast, produces not only Marsala, but some interesting and affordable non-fortified wines, especially reds. The grape varietals that are important in these areas are Primitivo, Negro Amaro, and Malvasia Nera.

Spain is known mainly for its red wines, particularly those from Rioja, made from the Tempranillo grape. Spanish sparkling wines, known as Cavas, are affordable and fun alternatives to pricier Champagnes.

The Spanish southwest produces well-known Sherry. Other interesting areas in Spain include Rias Baixas, known for a crisp and delightful wine made from the Albarino grape, Rueda, located in central Spain and known for good whites, and Ribera del Duero, becoming famous for quality red wines made from the Tempranillo grape.

Since it joined the EU in 1986, Portugal has benefited from the investment that has enabled everyone from small single quintas to large co-operatives to vastly improve quality. Vital new technology, like stainless steel tanks, combined with a change in winemaking philosophy, have resulted in wines that are cleaner, less tannic, and much more fruit-driven.

Although Port production is still the mainstay of the Douro, the region is fast becoming renowned for its powerful and complex still wines produced from indigenous varieties like Touriga Nacional and Baga.