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Lombardy wine is the Italian wine produced in the Lombardy region of north central Italy. The region is known particularly for its made in the Franciacorta and Oltrepò Pavese areas. Lombardy also produces still red, white and rosé wines made from a variety of local and international grapes, including Nebbiolo wines in the Valtellina region and Verdicchio white wines produced with the Chiaretto style rosé along the shores of Lake Garda. The wine region currently has 22 denominazione di origine controllata (DOC), 5 denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG) and at least 13 indicazione geografica tipica (IGT) designations. The main cities of the region are Milan, Bergamo and Brescia.M. Ewing-Mulligan & E. McCarthy Italian Wines for Dummies pg 89-99 Hungry Minds 2001. . The region annually produces around 1.3 million Litre of wine, Wine Production by Region more than the regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Marche, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Umbria.J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 410-411 Oxford University Press 2006. .
The vineyards of the region are located on the south-facing slopes along the Adda river. The nearby mountain peaks provide protection from cold, harsh winds and help to trap heat in the valley. The stony vineyard soil also retains heat and releases it during the night to warm the vines. This creates an optimum situation which allows the Nebbiolo grape to fully develop its flavors during the long growing season it needs. The steep location of the vineyards makes mechanical harvesting difficult so most vineyards are tended by hand which increases the cost and limits production. Heavy winter rainfall poses the hazards of and soil erosion.
The red wines of the Valtellina regions are typically light to medium bodied. The Nebbiolos are noticeably less tannic and acidic than their Piedmont counterparts.J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 726-727 Oxford University Press 2006. . The Valtellina DOC includes the basic level wines while the Valtellina Superiore DOCG include wines from the more premium locations and must be aged a minimum of two years. The Valtellina Superiore Riserva are reserve wine wines that must be aged for at least four years. Valtellina also produces an Amarone-style DOCG wine known as Sforzato (or Sfursat, Sfurzat as alternate dialect namesRobinson, Jancis, ed The Oxford Companion to Wine 2nd ed, winepros.com.au Sforzato ) made from dried grapes with a minimum alcohol content of 14.5%.
The Valtellina grape Rossola nera that is permitted as a minor blending component in the DOC wines of the region is an offspring of Nebbiolo. Another wine grape, Rossolino nero, that is thought to be an offspring of Rossola nera (and such a grandchild variety of Nebbiolo) is also grown in Valtellina.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours pgs 701-702, 915-916 Allen Lane 2012. .
The Oltrepò Pavese region is responsible for more the half of all wine produced in the Lombardy region as well as two-thirds of its DOC-designated wines. This region along the Po Valley was once a part of the Piedmont but has always had Milan as its primary market. Today it produces a DOCG sparkling wine with its Pinot noir (Pinot noir) grapes and a rose sparkling wine denominated Cruase. In addition to sparkling wines, the Oltrepò Pavese also produces red wines from the Pinot nero, Barbera, Croatina, Uva Rara and Vespolina. There are some small plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon that are starting to appear as varietal wines. The white wines of the region are made from Welschriesling (Welschriesling), Riesling (Riesling Renano), Chardonnay, Cortese, Malvasia, Moscato, Pinot gris and Sauvignon blanc. The Pinot nero grape is also vinified as a rose and as a white, non-sparkling wine in addition to being made as a standard red wine.
The sparkling wines of the region are made in several styles. The wines labeled metodo classico are made according to the méthode champenoise of the Champagne region. The wines are composed primarily of Pinot nero with up to a 30% blend of Chardonnay, Pinot blanc and Pinot grigio. Slightly sparkling frizzante styles are made from several of the region's red and white wine grapes including the dry Buttafuoco style and the semi-sweet Sangue di Giuda (meaning Judas' blood) both made from the Croatina grape, known locally as Bonarda. The Moscato grape is also made into a frizzante style as well as liquoroso fortified wine and Straw wine dessert wine.
The sparkling wines of this area are composed primarily of the Chardonnay and Pinot bianco grape with a maximum 15% of Pinot nero allowed. The area has a Crémant style wine, known under the name Satèn, that has less carbon dioxide than the standard sparkling wine but is more "bubbly" than a frizzante. This wine is not allowed to have any Pinot nero in the blend. The rosé sparklers are required to have a minimum 15% Pinot nero. The vintage-dated wines are required to have a minimum of 85% grapes from the indicated vintage and must be aged for at least 30 months prior to release. Non-vintage wines must be aged for at least 18 months. The Franciacorta sparklers are often a little sweeter than Champagne with the brut style having up to 20 per litre of sugar, while brut Champagne can have no more than 15 grams.
While sparkling wine production accounts for more than half of the Franciacorta area's production, many producers have begun focusing on make red Bordeaux wine blends and Burgundy wine style Chardonnays aged in oak. Despite the frequent use of Pinot nero in the sparkling wines, a still Burgundian-style red Pinot nero is not permitted under the Terre di Franciacorta DOC.
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