Liguria | Wine region

Liguria is located on a 246 km long coastal strip. Genoa forms the link between the Riviera di Ponente, which extends to the French Còte d'Azur, and the Riviera di Ponente, which extends to Tuscany. The Ligurian mountains drop almost directly into the sea, leaving little room for plains formed almost entirely of flood deposits. Despite these unfavorable conditions, man, in combination with the position protected from the north winds by the Alps and the mild climate due to the Tyrrhenian Sea, has transformed this stretch of land into one of the most productive agricultural areas. Flowers and plants grow in the San Remo area, oranges and lemons all over the region. The middle areas of the Riviera di Ponente are rich in olive groves, from which comes the fine mild famous Ligurian olive oil, while in the Cinque Terre the vineyards have been wrested from the mountain on small terraces in the steepest areas. - Gerardo

Liguria | Wine region | Buy at Gerardo

Liguria should really be reached from the sea, for this land looks out to sea, and among venerable occidental seaports Genoa has always been the most important one. Here, on the long coastline, lives an ancient seafaring people, who have created their own cuisine based on the nourishment provided by the sea and the narrow hinterland that stretches up to the Apennines. And it has invented dishes in which water and land, in which fish and shellfish with cauliflower, turnips and beans as ''cappon magro'', for example, join hands in a single culinary plate. And then there is the pesto! That unique spicy sauce that, although made of exquisite herbs, looks like seaweed and plankton from the dusky depths.

Now, the profession of the seafarer can hardly be combined with that of the vine grower, because both pursuits require all the time, all the effort and all the love. Liguria is therefore not as pronounced wine country as the neighboring PIemont, for example. But this doesn't mean that wine doesn't grow here, quite the contrary, because without it, how would one pay proper tribute to the fish? Yes, in one area, in the famous Cinque Terre, the Ligurians have even become real wine growers. And too boldly, because on the steepest rocky slopes high above the sea, they have wrested every square meter of soil, every niche, every nook and cranny from the mountain in order to give space to the vine roots. Genoa, Rivierei dei Fiori, San Remo, Santa Margherita, Rapallo - all beautiful and exciting, certainly, but for the sake of these Cinque Terre and for the sake of the wine that ripens there between the surf and the rock face, the journey to Liguria would be worthwhile. - Gerardo

"For quite some time, Liguria led a wallflower existence in the Italian wine landscape. Hardly anyone knew the various brands, and it was rare to find a bottle or two on restaurant wine lists. ...The quality of the wines has risen, a fact that has not gone unnoticed beyond Italy, public relations have improved, and - probably most crucially - producers have been forced to find new sources of sales." - Slow Wine

"Whereas last year 50 producers had submitted 259 labels to us, this time 69 wineries participated with over 358 wines, an increase of almost 40 percent. A strong signal of hope! Because from this we can see that this region, where you almost always have to deal with small and micro wineries and winemakers tend to practice shy restraint, is currently experiencing an epochal change that is putting absolute masters of their trade more in the spotlight." - Gambero Rosso