Back in the summer, we took a look at the top wines to have recently come out of Italy. The selections were wide-ranging and as impressive as one would expect for a destination that’s been producing wine for thousands of years. The highest-rated bottles hailed from regions that spanned from the volcanic soils of Sicily and rolling hills of Tuscany up to the mountains of Lombardy and Alpine foothills of Piedmont. At the time, Wine Enthusiast’s Tuscany and Southern Italy reviewer Danielle Callegari said, “If there’s one takeaway from the huge amount of Italian wine I’ve tasted in the past months, it’s this: Italian wine is better than ever.”
But our tasters have gone through even more Italian wines from an even wider area in the ensuing months. We reviewed more than a whopping 3,400 bottles in 2023—it’s been a busy year—and our reviewers have been delighted with the diverse array of quality wines they’ve come across. In the last few months, we’ve found a stunning Prosecco grown in the chalky soils high in the hills of Valdobbiadene; lush and vibrant Lambruscos; an indulgent Sangiovese-based Vino Nobile di Montepulciano; a rare example of 100% Tempranillo rosato; and, of course, some age-worthy and very impressive Barolos and Barbarescos.
The best of the bunch made the cut for the Enthusiast 100: The Best Wines of 2023. These picks are not just the highest-rated or most expensive bottlings, but those that reminded our reviewers of what makes Italy—and especially Italian wines—so special
This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
