Summer is the prime time for visiting the Northern Italian region of Liguria. It is also the best time to celebrate with Italian wines. It is bordered by France to the west, Piedmont to the north, and Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany to the east. It lies on the Ligurian Sea. It is a very narrow strip of land between the Ligurian Sea, the Alps and the Appenines. The highest mountain in the region is Monte Saccarello Monte (2201 m).The region runs from Ventimiglia to La Spezia. Some 65% of the region is mountainous and it has 350-km of coastline.

The ring of hills lying immediately beyond the coast together with the sea account for a mild climate year-round. Average winter temperatures are 7 to 10 °C (45 to 50 °F) and summer temperatures are 23 to 24 °C (73 to 75 °F), which make for a pleasant stay even in the dead of winter.

The soils in Liguria are high in limestone — with an emphasis on the “stone.” With so little flat land, growers must raise grapes on terraces carved from the rocky slopes. This is often called “heroic” viticulture. The slopes do offer one advantage, though: the mountain peaks protect the grapes near the sea from the coldest winter winds blowing down from the Alps. Limestone soil is particularly good for white grapes.

Home to diverse white and red grape varieties. Liguria has 8 DOC areas, of which a few are more well known in the USA. Colli di Luni Vermentino and Rossese di Dolceaqua are the most widely seen in the USA and many have also heard of and/or tasted dessert wine from the Cinque Terre, Sciacchetrà, made from Bosco, Vermentino and Albarola.

Few though have had wines from these other DOCs, Ormeasco di Pornassio, Riviera Ligure di Ponente, Val Polcevera, Golfo del Tigullio Portofino or Portofino and Colline di Levanto.

Many assume that all of Liguria’s wines are made on the coast but there is also a lot of wine coming from the hills farther inland. Many of these wines are made from Bianchetta Genovese, a little known indigenous variety. Vermentino is grown all over Liguria and its DOCs.

Another grape variety that many know is Pigato. It thought to be the same grape as Vermentino which has changed slightly because if grows in different terroir. It too grows throughout Liguria and is found in the Riviera Ligure di Ponente.

In addition to these primary four white grape varieties, Liguria is home to Riviera Ligure di Ponente Moscatello di Taggia, Val Polcevera Bianco (Coronata), Lumassina, Mattaossu, Massarda, among others.

Liguria is mostly thought of for its white wines but there are a number of reds that are really worth getting to know, including Rossese di Dolceacqua. Likely of Greek origin, it is often grown on bush trained vines. Mostly seen in the Val Nervia and the Valle Verbone
Andrea Doria choose it as the holiday wine for his fleet and it was very much appreciated by Napoleon.

Other reds that grow in Liguria include Garnaccia (Grenache), Ciliegiolo, and Ormeasco di Pornassio, Ormeasco is somewhat similar to Dolcetto. Difficult to pronounce perhaps but quite easy to drink.

All of these lovely wines pair beautifully with great Ligurian cuisine. The region is known for it’s Trenette al Pesto, Trofie, Focaccia, Farinata, Torte alle erbe, Testaroli
Seafood, Anchovies, known as Gianchetti or Bianchetti, as well as dishes made with Rabbit, Lamb, Poultry.

I used to visit Liguria all the time when I lived in Milan and rented a house with friends there for several summers. Truly a region I love, it is full of surprises in terms of views, beaches, valleys, towns, foods and of course, wines – unsung ones worth discovering.

The house my friends and I rented was in a town called Finalborgo. It was very near the larger town of Finale Ligure where we went to the beach. Our little town though only had a couple of cafes, a pizzeria and the main piazza where we ate gelato. We always took long walks up and town the coast as well and bought summer dresses from ladies who came to the beach with multicolored products. The whole experience was slow and relaxing, except for my friend Loredana’s crazy driving on the road down from Milan, smoking a cigarette, singing and texting wildly. Other than that, every weekend was a joy and a discovery of some new restaurant or location in the hills or a quiet pizza in our town. During those years, we drank a lot of Vermentino. Often it was this one from Colli di Luni, Cantina Lunae Bosoni. I

On Saturday, August 5^th our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group of writers, #ItalianFWT, will be covering both the regions of Liguria and Emilia Romagna of northern Italy with some wine and food pairing suggestions.  

Here is a preview of what is to come on Saturday August 5^th. 

• ^{Wendy from A Day of the Life on the Farm will feature “2 Treats from Emilia-Romagna; Gnocco Frito and Celita Sangiovese.}  
• ^{Andrea at The Quirky Cork will share “A Love Affair with Lambrusco”} 
• ^{Camilla over at Culinary Cam will take you “From the Italian Riviera: Animated Sea Monsters, Linguine al Pesto, and Mataóssu}  
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles will be “Meditating on the Magic of the Cinque Terre with a Sciacchetrà”
• Gwendolyn at the Wine Predator shares with us “How You Can Help After Devastating Floods in Emilia-Romagna: Drink Wine Made by Women”
• Susannah at Avvinare is “Celebrating Summer with Ligurian Gems”J
• Jennifer at Vino Travels with “Ligurian Vermentino and Pesto”