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Italian wines are always great: from the wine of kings (Barolo), to internationally recognized household names (Chianti), the zealous new wines of the south, or the sophisticated wines of the north. Even that simple table wine with your snack in the backyard holds special flavour and a world of history. Italy has an amazing array of grape varieties that is second to none in the world, with more of 300 grape varieties recognized by the Italian government. And let's not forget the 2000+ years of history and culture that goes into every bottle. Italian wines surpass everybody with so many different flavours, colours and sophisticated technology that still embraces thousands of years of tradition.
However, Italian wine can get confusing at times, with so many denominations (DOC-DOCG -IGT- VDT), regions, geographic indications, grape varieties, blends, table wine, where do we start? The secret is to keep looking, tasting and learning with the right information at hand. Our network will help you with lessons that are helpful and easy to follow.
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A Little History
Italy has some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Etruscan and Greek settlers produced wine in the country long before the Romans started developing their own vineyards in the second century BC. Roman grape-growing and winemaking was prolific and well-organised, pioneering large-scale production and storage techniques like barrel and bottling. Although wines had been elaborated from the wild Vitis vinifera grape for millennia, it wasn't until the Greek colonization that wine-making flourished. Viticulture was introduced into Sicily and southern Italy by the Mycenaen Greeks, and was well established when the extensive Greek colonization transpired around 800 BC. It was during the Roman defeat of the Carthaginians (acknowledged masters of wine-making) in the second century BC that Italian wine production began to further flourish. Large-scale, slave-run plantations sprang up in many coastal areas and spread to such an extent that, in AD92, emperor Domitian was forced to destroy a great number of vinyards in order to free up fertile land for food production.
During this time, viticulture outside of Italy was prohibited under Roman law. Exports to the provinces were reciprocated in exchange for more slaves, especially from Gaul where trade was intense, according to Pliny, due to the inhabitants being besotted with Italian wine, drinking it unmixed and without restraint. Roman wines contained more alcohol and were generally more powerful than modern fine wines. It was customary to mix wine with a good proportion of water which may otherwise have been unpalatable, making wine drinking a fundamental part of early Italian life.
As the laws on provincial viticulture were relaxed, vast vineyards began to flourish in the rest of Europe, especially Gaul (present day France) and Hispagna (Spain). This coincided with the cultivation of new vines, like Buturica (ancestor of the Cabernet). These vineyards became hugely successful, to the point that Italy ultimately became an import centre for provincial wines.
Two thousand years later, Italy remains one of the world's foremost producers, responsible for approximately one-fifth of the world wine production.
Italian wine today
Wine is still the most popular drink in Italy today. Grapes are grown in almost every part of Italy, with more than 1 million vineyards under cultivation. In some places the vines are trained along low supports. In others they climb as slender saplings.
Most wine-making in Italy is done by modern winery. However, some villagers who make wine for their own use sometimes still tread the grapes with their bare feet, until the juice is squeezed out. They believe this ancient method still makes some of the best wine.
Depending on the vintage, modern Italy is the world's largest or second largest wine producer. In 2005, production was about 20% of the global total, second only to France, which produced 22%. In the same year, Italy's share in dollar value of table wine imports into the U.S. was 32%, Australia's was 24%, and France's was 20%. Along with Australia, Italy's market share has rapidly increased in recent years.
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