Since the early 1980s, the rise in Italian wine quality has been dramatic. The technological breakthroughs pioneered in California and France, and huge capital investments in Italy have now born fruit. Many of you have drunk or are familiar with the worldwide praise for Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Tignanello, or Sammarco. These wines blazed a trail for Italian wines because Cabernet Sauvignon plays a dominant role in each of them. It was interest in Cabernet Sauvignon that sparked this revolution, yet now the breadth of Italy's thousands of indigenous grape varieties offers a limitless palate for these new artist-winemakers. It is in this journey through the myriad of Italian varietals that some of today's most exciting wines and greatest values lie.
