Italy | Liguria
The second smallest wine region in Italy, Liguria forms a narrow coastal strip in northwestern Italy, facing the Ligurian Sea. Its capital and largest city is Genoa (Genova). Tourists know Liguria as the Italian Riviera, famous for its beaches and the idyllic towns of Portofino and the Cinque Terre. This thin, beautiful strip of rugged land with its Mediterranean climate and poor, stony soils is dominated by hills with sheer drops that almost fall straight into the sea. These steep elevations make vine growing a challenge, resulting in scattered vineyards (some can only be reached by boat) with limited production. In some areas the slopes are so steep that the land has to be cultivated by hand.
