Italy — wine

Liguria Wine Region

Liguria — the narrow Italian Riviera arc between the Alps, Apennines, and the Mediterranean — produces tiny quantities of wine from impossibly steep terraced vineyards carved from granite and slate. The best wines come from two DOCs: Riviera Ligure di Ponente (western Riviera) for Pigato (Ligurian Vermentino) and Rossese di Dolceacqua, and Cinque Terre for the heroic Sciacchetrà sweet wine. These are artisan wines in the truest sense — each bottle represents extraordinary physical effort on nearly vertical slopes above the sea.

Year Rating Notes
2023 Ligurian coastal climate performed well; Pigato showed excellent salinity and Rossese retained its characteristic freshness.
2022 Outstanding Italian vintage; Liguria's steep coastal terraces produced Pigato of exceptional depth and Rossese of unusual concentration.
2021 Reliable year; the sea-moderated microclimate maintained characteristic balance across both white and red varieties.
2020 Classic Ligurian vintage; the narrow coastal strip delivered consistent aromatic wines from its impossibly steep terraces.
2019 Fine vintage for Italian coastal regions; Liguria produced Pigato of remarkable complexity and the finest Rossese in years.