Cinque Terre is a small DOC

Denominazione di Origine Controllata

Denominazione di origine controllata is a quality assurance label for food products, especially wines and various formaggi . It is modelled after the French AOC...

 white wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

 region in Liguria, North Italy

Italian wine

Italian wine is wine produced in Italy, a country which is home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Italy is the world's largest wine producer, responsible for approximately one-fifth of world wine production in 2005. Italian wine is exported largely around the world and has...

. The DOC was granted in 1973 and production is limited to the coastal areas of the Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" is composed of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore...

 in the Province of La Spezia

Province of La Spezia

The Province of La Spezia is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of La Spezia.It has an area of 881 km², and a total population of 223,606 inhabitants...

, and specifically to the territories of the communes of Riomaggiore (including Manarola

Manarola

Manarola is a small town, a frazione of the comune of Riomaggiore, in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northern Italy...

), Vernazza

Vernazza

WARNING: On October 25, 2011, Vernazza was struck by torrential rains, massive flooding and mudslides that left the town buried in over 4 meters of mud and debris, causing over 100 million euro worth of damage. The town is evacuated and in a continued state of emergency...

 (which includes the village of Corniglia

Corniglia

Corniglia is a frazione of the commune of Vernazza in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northern Italy. Unlike the other localities of the Cinque Terre, Corniglia is not directly adjacent to the sea...

, whose wine has been known since Roman times

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

) and Monterosso al Mare, together with two adjacent areas within the commune of La Spezia

La Spezia

La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...

: Tramonti di Biassa and Tramonti di Campiglia.

The wine is produced from a must

Must

Must is freshly pressed fruit juice that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace; it typically makes up 7%–23% of the total weight of the must. Making must is the first step in winemaking...

 containing at least 40% of the Bosco

Bosco (grape)

Bosco is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown predominately in the Liguria region of northwest Italy. It is a permitted variety in the Denominazione di origine controllata wine of Cinque Terre where it is often the primary component of the blend...

 grape, but may also contain up to 40% of Albarola

Albarola

Albarola is a white Italian wine grape variety grown in the northwest Italy. It is most commonly found in the Liguria region where producers in the Cinqueterre Denominazione di origine controllata use it as a blending component. Wine expert Jancis Robinson describes the wine made from Albarola as...

 and/or Vermentino

Vermentino

Vermentino is a late-ripening white grape variety, primarily found in Italian wine. It is widely planted in Sardinia, in Liguria primarily under the name Pigato, to some extent in Corsica, in Piedmont under the name Favorita, and in increasing amounts in Languedoc-Roussillon. The leaves are dark...

 and up to 20% of other white-berried grapes approved and/or recommended for the Province of La Spezia.

The wines tend to be dry, with straw yellow colour, and a delicate aroma.

Food Matches

Typically, it is best drunk with the local cuisine, and especially with seafood: until the arrival of the railway in 1874, the five villages of the Cinque Terre were little fishing hamlets, accessible only by sea.

Sciacchetrà

Sciacchetrà DOC is also produced in the same Cinque Terre area and is a 'vino passito' or Straw wine

Straw wine

Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The result is similar to that of the ice wine process, but suitable for warmer climates. The classic method dries clusters of grapes on mats of straw in the sun, but some regions dry them under...

of the Cinque Terre DOC wine, and is typically drunk with cheese or desserts.