Sipping a chilled Vermentino while overlooking the Ligurian Sea or the Golfo dei Poeti as the sun slides beneath a richly colored horizon is one of the best ways to enjoy the Italian Riviera.

This crisp, citrusy white, the flag bearer for the region’s wines, is produced throughout Liguria, both in vineyards clinging to sea-facing cliffs or amid terraced terrain in the mountainous countryside. Along the southernmost parts of the Riviera the microclimate is especially inviting for producing this wine—the sea water moderates temperatures and the Apuan Alps in nearby Tuscany buffer the area from chilly blasts blowing across other parts of Italy.