Wine is, and has been since time immemorial, the lifeblood of Italy -- and in the late twentieth century, it has also become hugely popular around the world. Such is their variety today that Italian wines, ranging from a classic Piemonte red like Barbaresco to the Veneto's elegant white Soave Classico, have come to be considered both fine wines to be savored and affordable wines that can be drunk every day.In Barolo to Valpolicella, Nicolas Belfrage explores the mysteries of Northern Italian viniculture, focusing on dozens of wines ranging from the normale to the highest-quality single-vineyard masterpieces. Using many local and international grape varieties as signposts, he guides the reader through such magical areas as Valpolicella, South Tyrol, and Trentino as well as the hills of Bologna and the Po Valley plain, where Lambrusco wines really did once hang from trees. Enhancing his text with an extensive listing of producers, a helpful glossary of Italian terms, and even a guide to pronouncing Italian words, Belfrage has written one of the most complete and accessible guides to today's Italian wines yet to be published.