inque Terre is the name of a stretch of the Ligurian Riviera to the east of Genoa in which are situated the communes of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.Grape varieties that are somewhat particular to the district are cultivated, such as Albarola, Bosco and Vermentino. The first two are of unknown origin, while the third, Vermentino, was introduced into the area fairly recently. It was originally known as Piccabon and had, at least initially, no relation to the wine produced in the Cinque Terre.
There is a vast literature dealing with the wine of the Cinque Terre but there is no verse or citation that can do justice to the landscape, which is truly indescribable. The vineyards are carved out of the rock wall of the slopes rising steeply from the water's edge to form peaks overlooking the sea. Boccaccio and Petrarch discussed the wine in prose and poetry, while Pliny the Elder described it as a "lunar wine.'' Poet Giosue' Carducci said that it summed up in itself all of the "inebriation of the Dionysians," while Giovanni Pascoli requested that a few bottles be sent to him "in the name of Italian literature.'' Gabriele D'Annunzio, a consummate maestro of terrestrial pleasures, praised it for its profoundly sensual character.
Still, despite the tributes, the wine has not gone far in this world and none of the praises lavished on it have succeeded in assuring it a place on foreign markets. While there is strong and steady demand for the wine, it is generally limited to the immediate area. And the greater part of the production is acquired by numerous private consumers who go to the Cinque Terre in person to buy it.
