Wine and Drinks

Wine in Italian life

Italy makes more wine than almost any country on earth and grows hundreds of native grape varieties, many found nowhere else. Every region produces wine, and most Italians drink what is grown nearby. Ask for a Barolo in a Sicilian trattoria and you may get one; ask what the local red is and you will get something better matched to the food, for less money.

Wine is part of the meal, drunk slowly, usually with water on the table too. Public drunkenness is frowned on, and you will rarely see Italians drinking without eating something. That rhythm shapes everything on this page: the aperitivo before dinner, wine with the meal, and a small digestivo after.

For what to eat with all this, see Food.

Reading a label: DOCG, DOC and IGT

Italian wines are usually named for a place (Chianti, Barolo, Soave) rather than a grape, which is the opposite of how most American wines are labeled. A classification on the label tells you how tightly the wine is regulated.

Other label words: Classico means the historic core of a zone (Chianti Classico, Soave Classico). Riserva means longer aging. Superiore usually means higher minimum alcohol or a stricter sub-area. Secco is dry, amabile and dolce are sweet, frizzante is lightly sparkling and spumante is fully sparkling.

The main wine regions and grapes

Visiting wineries and booking tastings

Italian wineries are mostly family businesses, and many are working farms. Very few have a walk-in tasting room like Napa or Sonoma. Expect to book a visit, which usually includes a cellar tour and a seated tasting of several wines, sometimes with cheese or salumi.

1. Book ahead. Email or use the booking form on the winery's website one to four weeks ahead in spring and fall, longer for famous Barolo and Brunello names. Many small producers need 48 hours' notice at minimum.
2. Budget. Standard tastings typically cost €15–€50 (about $17–$56) per person; premium or library tastings can run €60–€100 (about $67–$112) or more. Some small producers waive the fee if you buy bottles.
3. Plan two or three visits a day. A visit takes 60–90 minutes, and country roads are slow. One in the morning, lunch, one or two in the afternoon is the comfortable maximum.
4. Mind the calendar. Many wineries close or limit visits on Sundays, at lunch, in August and during harvest (September–October), when everyone is busy in the vineyards. Some regions have walk-in tasting rooms run by the local wine consortium or enoteca regionale, useful when wineries are closed.
5. Do not drive yourself. Hire a local driver or join a small-group tour, or stay at a winery or agriturismo and walk. Spitting is normal and acceptable.

Ordering wine in restaurants and bars

• House wine (vino della casa) comes in carafes: un quarto (a quarter liter, about two glasses), mezzo litro (half liter) or un litro. Quality ranges from fine to very good in trattorias in wine country; in tourist zones, a bottle from the list is often the safer bet. Expect roughly €8–€15 for a half liter.
• By the glass (al calice): usually €5–€10 (about $5.60–$11) in a restaurant, more in big-city wine bars.
• Wine list markups are generally lower than in the US. A good local bottle at €25–€40 (about $28–$45) is normal in a mid-range restaurant.
• Ask the waiter: cosa ci consiglia di locale? (what local wine do you suggest?). Saying your budget is normal.
• Bringing your own bottle is unusual and most restaurants will say no.

Aperitivo

The aperitivo is a pre-dinner drink, roughly 6 to 8:30 pm, meant to open the appetite. You order a drink and the bar brings something to nibble: chips, olives, nuts, small sandwiches. In Milan, Turin and Bologna, many bars put out a buffet, and an apericena (aperitivo plus cena, dinner) is a big spread that can replace a meal.

• Prices: a spritz or glass of wine with snacks usually runs about €6–€12 (about $6.70–$13) in most cities. On Venice's Piazza San Marco, Rome's Piazza Navona or a rooftop with a view, expect €15–€25 (about $17–$28).
• Etiquette: the snacks come with your drink and are meant to be shared lightly. Filling a plate three times at a buffet with one drink is frowned on.
• Where: Milan's Navigli canals and Brera, Turin's historic cafés (Turin claims the invention of vermouth), Venice's bacari with cicchetti and an ombra (a small glass of wine), Rome's Trastevere and Monti, Florence's Santo Spirito.

Spritz, Negroni and other classic drinks

The spritz comes from the Veneto, where it is still cheapest and most popular. The standard recipe is Prosecco, a bitter liqueur and a splash of soda water over ice with an orange slice or a green olive.

• Aperol spritz: orange, lightly bitter, the one you know.
• Campari spritz: more bitter, deeper red.
• Select spritz: the Venetian choice, made with Select, a bitter created in Venice, usually served with an olive.
• Hugo: Prosecco with elderflower syrup and mint, popular in Alto Adige.
• Negroni: gin, Campari and red vermouth, said to have been first mixed in Florence. A Negroni sbagliato ("mistaken") swaps the gin for sparkling wine, a Milan specialty.
• Americano: Campari, red vermouth and soda; despite the name, an Italian classic.
• Bellini: white peach purée and Prosecco, from Venice's Harry's Bar. Best in summer when peaches are in season.

Ask for un analcolico if you want a non-alcoholic aperitivo; most bars have bitter sodas such as Crodino or Sanbitter, and alcohol-free spritzes are increasingly common.

Amaro, limoncello and grappa

After dinner, Italians often finish with a small digestivo, said to help digestion. Sometimes the restaurant offers one free with the check, especially if you have been good customers.

Amaro

Amaro (literally "bitter") is a herbal liqueur, bittersweet and usually 25–35% alcohol, served neat or over ice. Almost every region has its own. Look for Averna (Sicily), Montenegro (Bologna), Ramazzotti and Fernet-Branca (Milan), Braulio (the Valtellina in the Alps), Lucano (Basilicata), Nonino (Friuli) and Cynar, made with artichoke. Ordering the local amaro is a small way to show interest in where you are.

Limoncello

Limoncello is lemon peel steeped in alcohol and sweetened, served ice-cold in small glasses. It belongs to the Sorrento peninsula, the Amalfi Coast and Capri, made from the big local lemons, which carry their own protected names (Limone di Sorrento and Limone Costa d'Amalfi). Small producers make it fresh; buy from a shop that lets you taste. Cream versions (crema di limoncello) are popular too. See the Amalfi Coast.

Grappa

Grappa is a clear brandy distilled from the skins, seeds and stems left after winemaking, usually 38–50% alcohol. Cheap grappa is harsh; good aged or single-grape grappa (monovitigno) can be fine and aromatic. The heartland is the northeast. Bassano del Grappa, an hour from Venice, has historic distilleries, including Nardini by the covered Alpine bridge and the Poli grappa museum. In mountain huts in the Dolomites, grappa infused with herbs or berries is the standard nightcap.

Other regional drinks

• Mirto, a myrtle-berry liqueur from Sardinia.
• Nocino, a walnut liqueur from Emilia-Romagna.
• Genepì, an alpine herb liqueur from the Aosta Valley and Piedmont.
• Sambuca, anise liqueur from Lazio, sometimes served with three coffee beans (con la mosca).
• Vermouth from Turin, now enjoying a revival as an aperitivo.

Drinking age, drinking outdoors and driving

Age

You must be 18 to buy alcohol or be served it in a bar or restaurant. Staff may ask for ID if you look young, though it happens far less than in the US. Selling or serving to anyone under 18 is an offense for the seller.

Drinking in public

There is no nationwide open-container law, and a glass of wine on a piazza bench is common. But many cities issue local ordinances, especially in summer and in nightlife areas: bans on drinking in the street after a set hour, on glass bottles, or on takeaway alcohol sales from shops and minimarkets late at night. Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan and Naples have all used such rules in recent years, and fines apply. Rules change by season and neighborhood, so watch for signs and follow the locals' lead.

Driving

Italy's legal blood alcohol limit is 0.5 grams per liter (0.05%), lower than the 0.08% limit in most US states. For drivers under 21, drivers in their first three years with a license and professional drivers, the limit is zero. Police run roadside checks, especially on weekend nights and near wine areas, and Italy's highway code was tightened in late 2024 with stiffer penalties, including license suspension and, at higher levels, criminal charges. One glass of wine can put a light person near the limit. If you are visiting wineries, do not drive. See Driving in Italy.

Bringing wine and spirits home

US travelers 21 and over can bring back 1 liter of alcohol duty-free. More is allowed for personal use: you declare it and pay duty, which for a few bottles of wine is usually modest. Your state of arrival may have its own limits. In the cabin, liquids over 3.4 oz (100 ml) are not allowed through security, though sealed duty-free purchases in tamper-evident bags are generally accepted on a direct flight. Pack bottles in checked luggage wrapped in clothes, or buy padded wine sleeves before you go.

Many wineries and wine shops ship to the US through specialized couriers. Ask about total cost, including duty and taxes, before you order. More on customs in Shopping and bringing it home.