THE JEWELS OF LIGURIA

Liguria boasts a good winemaking tradition due above all to its position on the sea which has always favored it in maritime traffic. The first documents of the existence of the vine date back to Roman times but it was in the Middle Ages that there was a considerable increase in the areas planted with vines. Today the Ligurian viticulture is concentrated mainly on the areas around La Spezia, with the denominations of the Colli di Luni, Colline di Levanto and Cinqueterre. Here grapes such as Bosco, Albarola, Vermentino, Sangiovese and Ciliegiolo are cultivated. Famous is the Sciachetrà, a sweet wine, sweet and liqueur produced with Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino. Moving further west we find the denominations; Riviera Ligure di Ponente, allowed in the provinces of Genoa, Imperia and Savona, where vines such as Vermentino, Pigato, Ciliegiolo and Rossese are grown. Another denomination is the Gulf of Tigullio DOC, famous for its Bianchetta white grape variety, and Val Polcevera DOC where the Bianco di Coronata wine is produced with the grapes of the Bianchetta Genovese, Vermentino and Albarola vines. In the area around Imperia there is the DOC Rossese di Dolceacqua, which takes its name from the village of Dolceacqua. The grape variety used is Rossese and it seems that Pope Paul III Farnese was an admirer of his. The Granaccia di Quiliano is also worth mentioning, a vinous and fragrant red wine produced for 85% with grapes from the Alicante grape, locally called Granaccia.