Basilicata, also known as Lucania, is an often neglected region of arid hills and desolate mountains that can be bitterly cold for a southerly place. But the cool upland climate has its advantages for viticulture, in wines that can show enviable aromas and flavors.

Basilicata has only one DOC in Aglianico del Vulture, but that, at least, gives the inhabitants a source of pride. One of southern Italy's finest red wines, it is gradually gaining admirers elsewhere.

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The ancient Romans admired Campania Felix as the most felicitous of wine regions. They favored the vineyards along the coast north of Naples where Falernian, the most treasured wine of the empire, was grown. They also praised the wines of volcanic Vesuvius and the wooded hills of Avellino. Even earlier, the Greeks had recognized the privileged nature of the place, introducing vines which still stand out today in Aglianico, Greco and Falanghina.

Yet, until recently, it seemed that wine producers of Campania, with a few conspicuous exceptions, had forgotten about the glories of the past, as growers left the land and winemakers largely ignored DOC. But now, after a long lapse, Campania is undergoing a revival that has dramatically improved quality.

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The compact region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, commanding the northern Adriatic Sea with borders on Austria and Slovenia, continues to set the pace with modern Italian white wine. Drawing from worthy native varieties and the choicest of the international array, Friulians have applied studied vineyard techniques and avant-garde enology to the production of highly distinctive whites, as well as some eminently attractive reds.

Friuli has two DOC zones of exceptional status in Collio Goriziano, or simply Collio, and Colli Orientali del Friuli, adjacent areas that follow the border of Slovenia from Gorizia west and northwest to Tarcento. The exchange of air currents between the Alps and the Adriatic has created a highly favorable habitat for vines on the terraced slopes called ronchi. Carso is a unique zone in the hills above the seaport and regional capital of Trieste. The other six DOC zones cover low hills or plains, but quality there can be convincing, most notably from Isonzo, which rivals Collio and Colli Orientali for the class of certain wines.

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The rugged terrain of this slender seaside region makes grape growing a challenge, meaning that vineyards are scattered along the Italian Riviera and wine production is limited. Still some of the wines of Genoa's region, if hard to get to, are well worth the search.

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Verdicchio is the plenipotentiary of the wines of this pleasant Adriatic region, whose long-time devotion to whites no longer obscures the increasing merits of its reds. The Castelli di Jesi DOC zone, covering a vast tract of hills west of the port of Ancona, is the home of the Verdicchio that made an early impression abroad in its green amphora bottles. But recently producers have created a new image of Verdicchio as a white wine of special character that comes across even more convincingly in standard bottles.

Class has risen so steadily that even wine still sold in the hourglass-shaped amphora seems a cut above the general level of popular whites. Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico has been described as Italy's premier wine to serve with fish. Some producers make wines that develop such impressive depth and complexity with age that Verdicchio is increasingly ranked among the noblest native white varieties of Italy.

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An overwhelming majority of Piedmont's wines derives from native vines. Besides the noble Nebbiolo, source of Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara and Ghemme, which are all DOCG, Barbera ranks as the most popular vine for reds, followed by Dolcetto, which is enjoyed for its mellow, round flavors. Brachetto makes sweet, fragrant bubbly red that is DOCG as Brachetto d'Acqui. Freisa and Grignolino lead a host of local varieties in rounding out the honor roll of reds. Still, among classified wines, whites represent about a third of the volume. First comes Asti, whose DOCG applies to both sparkling Spumante and the softly bubbly Moscato d'Asti. With an average annual output of nearly 60 million liters, the Asti appellation ranks second in volume to Chianti among Italy's classified wines. An established star is Gavi, a dry white made from the native Cortese grape and a recent addition to the DOCG list.

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Isolation in mid-Mediterranean has made Sardinia the most idiosyncratic of Italian regions. The island's history has been influenced as much by foreigners, Spaniards in particular, as by other Italians.

The island's vines tell a story of their own, frequently with a Spanish accent. The Mediterranean stalwarts are there in the various clones of Moscato and Malvasia, but several other varieties are unique in Italy, such as Girò, Cannonau, Nuragus, Monica, Semidano, Torbato and Vernaccia di Oristano.

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Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy's northernmost region, is walled in by the Rhaetian Alps and the Dolomites, so that only about 15 percent of the region's land is cultivable and much that is produces fruit and wine grapes. The difficulty of growing vines on steep, often terraced hillsides compels growers to emphasize quality. About three-quarters of production is DOC and a major share of the wine is exported.

Trentino-Alto Adige, with borders on Austria and Switzerland, is split into two distinct provinces. Trentino, around the city of Trento (or Trent) to the south, is historically Italian in language and culture. Alto Adige, around the city of Bolzano (or Bozen) to the north, is known as Südtirol to the prominent German-speaking population. The South Tyrol, historically part of Austria, is officially bilingual.

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Umbria has long been renowned for white wine, thanks mainly to the historical prominence of Orvieto. But evidence is now irrefutable that the scenic hills of the "green heart of Italy" have an aptitude for a multitude of varieties, white and red, native and foreign. The region's two DOCG wines, Montefalco Sagrantino and Torgiano Rosso Riserva, are red.

Orvieto was once the most celebrated of Italian whites as a semisweet or abboccato wine, praised by the popes, princes and painters who sojourned in the hill town north of Rome with its splendid Cathedral and sweeping views over the Umbrian landscape. But as tastes changed Orvieto was modified from a soft, golden wine into a pale, pure, crisp creature of modern enology.

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Venice's region has emerged in recent times as Italy's largest producer of wine with a major share classified as DOC or DOCG (more than 300 million bottles a year). Leading the flow is Verona's trio of Soave, Valpolicella and Bardolino. But since DOC represents less than a third of the region's total, the Veneto also figures as a major producer and exporter of IGT wines, often of moderate price.

The Veneto has three general areas of premium wine production: the western province of Verona in the hills between Lake Garda and the town of Soave; the central hills in the provinces of Vicenza, Padova and Treviso; the eastern plains of the Piave and Tagliamento river basins along the Adriatic coast northeast of Venice.

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