Imagine graduating school, moving to Italy and starting your own vineyard. Working the land together with your neighbors to produce wine that unifies culture.

Discover the many grape varieties grown in Italy, and how their characteristics vary, giving an in-depth understanding of why Italian wine is so fascinating.

1. Taste

Italy is the world's top wine producer, boasting an incredible heritage of distinct terroirs and indigenous grape varieties that create wines with distinctive vibrancy and originality. Though Italian wine may appear daunting at first, navigating its many quirks shouldn't be intimidating - here is your guide to help make things easy!

Learning more about winemaking and the culture surrounding Italy's wines can enhance your appreciation of each glass you drink. By visiting vineyards, walking along rows of grapevines and learning to say each winery's name in Italian you will better grasp its complexity and quality - both factors which go into producing each bottle!

When dining out, be sure to ask your server which Italian wine would best complement your meal. Select foods from the region where the wine was produced as these may share similar climate and ingredients; following this method ensures you follow the old saying that "if it grows together, it goes together". Furthermore, simple pairings often work best.

2. Learn

No matter your experience level or your goal of learning about Italian wine and culture, this certificate program provides an in-depth examination of Italian viniculture. With its courses that blend tradition with modern innovation to highlight its diversity.

Through this course, you'll gain insight into all the major regions of Italy: their laws and regulations, grape varieties, intricate traditions and more. Furthermore, you'll take an in-depth look at their distinct terroirs and distinguishing characteristics that set each apart.

Italian wine's diversity is both its pride and challenge. There are so many names, regions, styles and varieties to understand! Italian Wine Central's education team have designed this course specifically to help you master some of the classic and commercially significant Italian wines available on export markets today - this way you will feel more at ease navigating any Italian wine list or tasting event afterwards!

3. Share

Taste Italy's wine culture through terroir, the concept that real wine is intrinsically tied to place and people. Discover crisp flavors of fossilized shells in white Friuli-Venezia Giulia wines or the minerality of Etna volcano wines in Sicily; sample rare native varieties such as Schioppettino, Zibibbo and Nerello Mascalese wines for yourself!

Red Italian wines contain resveratrol, an effective antioxidant which fights free radicals that damage cells. Resveratrol has also been found to reduce inflammation and may help protect against cardiovascular disease.

Italian elders traditionally enjoyed drinking wine with breakfast and lunch, believing it brought good health. Today, science supports what these ancients knew: only two or three glasses are necessary to achieve good health; moderation should always be exercised as vino veritas is an ancient Latin proverb, or "in wine lies truth".

4. Experience

Wine drinking in Italy is not simply about drinking liquid food; it is an experience in itself - an eventful, rich one. Wines represent more than their taste alone - they tell a tale about land, people and even have personalities of their own. French term "terroir" encompasses this notion perfectly, so once you understand how Friuli-Venezia Giulia wines have crisp minerality while Negroamaro grapes from Salice Salentino display earthiness or volcanic-like characteristics while Gaglioppo and Magliocco grapes from Calabria reveal what terroir truly means.

Since Italy did not become a unified nation until 1861, each region still retains their individual character in terms of climate and history - something which makes Italian wines all the more exquisite - not only tasty but with many health advantages too! Read our Forbes Passport Wine Guide for more details.