central italy is quite a bit simpler than either the north or the south when it comes to grape varieties especially red grape varieties without a doubt the primary red grape of central italy is sangiovesesangiovese is the most planted grape variety in italy overall red or white while it is grown in many regions of italy most is here in central italy the map on the left below shows which regions focus most on sangiovesedarker colors indicate that sangiovese is a higher percentage of that region s grapeshe other principal grape variety of central italy is montepulciano montepulciano is the second most planted red grape variety in italy and is grown in every region but its home is the adriatic coast of central italy as shown above