Liguria

The region (ital. Liguria) is located in the northwest of Italy and nestles kidney-shaped on the Gulf of Genoa. The coast of the Riviera di Levante and Riviera di Ponente is about 350 kilometres long and stretches from the French border in the west to the northern edge of Tuscany. The largely rugged and stony land is difficult to cultivate. The capital Genoa was already an important port in ancient times and in the Middle Ages it was the second most important transhipment centre for wine after Venice. Already the Greek historian Strabo (63 B.C.-28 A.D.) praised the Ligurian wine. The famous naturalist and philosopher Andrea Bacci (1521-1590) wrote effusively that "the wines of Liguria could even make stones blossom".

The vineyards cover about 1,500 hectares. The steep terraced vineyards, laboriously hewn into the rock, are mainly located in the Arroscia Valley to the west and the Miagra Valley to the south-east. The climate is Mediterranean and dry, the Ligurian Alps and Apennines, which are more than 2,500 metres high, protect against cold winds, and the sea stores the heat of the sun. Inland, however, it can be described as rather semi-continental. The reddish, calcareous soil along the coast is very suitable for white wine varieties. Over a hundred mostly autochthonous grape varieties are cultivated, often in tiny quantities. Efforts are made to reactivate them and save them from extinction.