Piemonte is home to an exceptional number of high quality local grapes and regions. This is a place that truly has it all, from some of the finest, most age-worthy wines in the world to great values in red and white, to sweet fizzy wines of both colors and even some spiced wines made with secret recipes.

Sicily has more vineyard land than any other region in Italy. Its importance to the ancient Mediterranean has given it a wine culture going back thousands of years, and wine remains mostly a simple accompaniment to life.

The vast majority of Sicily's wines fall outside of the official appellations, though the region certainly has its stars as well. Etna has emerged as a premier region, Vittoria's Cerasuolo and Frappato have become popular in America, and De Bartoli continues keep quality Marsala alive.

Tuscany's picturesque rolling hills look as good to a grapevine as they do to a tourist. This is prime winemaking country, and over 80% its wine is red.

This is the land of Sangiovese. Several regions have developed their own clones and their own distinct styles of wine from the grape, which makes the world's best pairing for grilled steak, and a fine match for a hearty tomato sauce as well. Leave room for biscotti and vin santo for desert.