Fiano is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Campania region of southern Italy and on the island of Sicily. In Campania, this fairly strong flavored white wine grape is particularly noted around Avellino where the Denominazione di origine controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wine of Fiano di Avellino is produced. The grape has a long history in the Campanian region and is believed to have been the grape behind the ancient Roman wine Apianum. Even today, the name Apianum is permitted to appear on wine labels of the DOCG wine Fiano di Avellino.
Fiano in Viala & Vermorel
Fiano grapes pre-veraison
The Roman wine Apianum was produced by a grape known as vitis apiana, whose name is related to the Latin word for "bees" (apis; pl: apes), which were strongly attracted to the sugary pulp of the grapes. Today, wine historians believe that the grape behind Apianum may have been Fiano.
A Fiano IGT wine from the Salento peninsula of Apulia
Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest wine producer, as well as the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine in the world, with an area of 702,000 hectares under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted for 19 per cent of global production, ahead of France and Spain. Italian wine is both exported around the world and popular domestically among Italians, who consume an average of 42 litres per capita, ranking fifth in world wine consumption.
Tuscan Chianti in a traditional fiasco
Vineyards in Langhe and Montferrat, Piedmont, the official name of a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising "five distinct wine-growing areas with outstanding landscapes" and the Castle of Grinzane Cavour in the region of Piedmont, Italy
A typical Italian vineyard scene, with vines growing alongside olive trees
DOCG and DOC labels on two Italian wine bottles
