Italy is in a slow collision between the African and Eurasian plates and which has given rise to the Alps.

Mountainous country: Italy is essentially a mountainous country with two main mountain ranges: the Alps, stretching from east to west in the north, and the Apennines, generally much lower in altitude than the Alps, running right down the middle of the country north to south.

The many different altitudes, exposures, microclimates, and soils on which vineyards are planted, help explain Italy’s unique ability to produce quality grapes and wines. Especially important are the geological characteristics of many Italian wine terroirs, since these features are almost non-modifiable, their geology and microclimates changing slowly in time, over the span of millennia. In contrast, viticulture and winemaking are dynamic entities that undergo faster changes in time—changes which are meant to bring about improvements in wine quality. However, often such innovations prove to be deleterious in the long run, for instance the uncontrolled planting of international grapes everywhere in the country, or the indiscriminate attempt by less talented producers at making ‘natural’ wines. Unfortunately, these producers only succeed in making unpalatable if not downright faulty wines.

Soil formation: Soils form as the result of glacier formation and retreat. For example, in the case of the Alps, their soil is the result of over 100 million years of ongoing deposits and retreats, or so-called tectonic movements. Older soils have forcibly different origins, diverse mineral concentrations, different stone size, and are compact in a different way compared to more recently formed soils. It is these differences that determine which of the country’s areas will be more or less suited to quality viticulture. It follows that because of the glacier activity in its advancement and retreat mechanism, some landscapes will be characterized by gently rolling hills while others will be marked by steep mountain slopes. Depending on the presence or absence of volcanos, some soils will have a volcanic origin instead of a sedimentary one. The former will therefore most likely have higher potassium contents while others will be characterized by high limestone, sand, clay, or granite contents. As an example on the importance of minerals in the soil, it must be noted that soils rich in basalt are rich in potassium. As these are warm soils by definition, grapes grown in such soils tend to give fuller, bigger bodied wines.

Soil composition: In Italy, soil composition changes quickly from site to site, even those in close proximity with one another. A common saying among Italian farmers is Italy’s soil changes occur “from palm to palm”, meaning that walking even small distances within a vineyard will reveal many dfferent soils. Ultimately, Italy has vineyards located in just a wide range of topographical situations, because of its greatly mountainous habitats and varied geology. Italy has vineyards in just about all possible ecosystems, from water edges in seaside locations, to lakeside scenarios and high mountain landscapes. Italy has some of the world’s highest vineyards. Valle d’Aosta’s Prié Blanc vineyards are located as high up as roughly 3,500 feet (1000 metres) above sea level.