History of Italian Wine

The wines of Italy date back about 4,000. It started when prehistoric Italians pressed grapes that grew in the wild into juice that fermented into wine. Ancient Greeks who colonized into southern regions of Italy called their colonies Oenotria, or the land of wine.  The Etruscans continued the art of making wine in Italy's central hills and evidence of this can be seen in the art and offerings they left in the tombs of their people.

Romans took the Bacchus cult to the farthest corners of their empire and through this; they developed a trade in wine that grew throughout the Mediterranean and even beyond this region. Roman knowledge of wine making and grape growing was so sophisticated that they were able to develop methods that couldn't be rivaled until the 16 or 1700's, when Europeans, as well as Italians started looking at winemaking as an exact science.

Italian winemaking quickly advanced throughout the 19th century and ways of aging and vinification began to improve. Corks helped to seal off bottles that were reinforced to help allow for easier and cleaner shipping world Common Italian names such as Marsala, Barolo and Chianti became famous not only throughout Europe, but around the world.

About a hundred years ago or so, many Italian wines were known as some of the finest of their kind. These were mostly Tuscan reds and Piedmontese from the varieties of Nebbiolo and Sangiovese grapes, but they also included still and sparkling white wines that ranged in flavor from dry to sweet.

Grape growers chose to complement the local grapes they grew with other international vines that included Merlot, the Pinots and Cabernet. It is said that the many different climates and terrains are ideal for growing vines of all kinds and wine lovers around the world have grown to love the fine wines Italian grown grapes produce.

However, there have been illnesses to vineyards all around Europe and these affected Italian growers as well. Diseases such as phylloxera forced many Italian growers to cut back on how many local vines they grew and many growers chose to work with clones of native and international grapes that were more productive and newly developed. A long growing season encouraged greater yields and the thinking that higher amounts would generate more profit than focusing on the quality of the wine.

War and depression saw Italian wines as one of the leading makers of affordable wine that was sold in all kinds of containers. Although many of these practices helped some winemakers to profit, they didn't do very well for the image that Italian wines had.

It took many years for producers who were responsible to get tighter regulations and higher quality standards for wines in Italy, however this didn't happen until the laws known as denominazione d'origine were passed in the 1960's. This helped winemakers to have trust and dignity and created what is referred to as "modern renaissance" of Italian wine.

Even though the number of vines in Italy has been reduced in past years, there are still so many kinds of vines and more in Italy than in any other country. This includes the native grapes and almost all of the "international" kinds of grapes.

There are well over a hundred vines that are officially approved Vitis Vinifera, as well as a few that are non-vinifera vines. There are also some hybrids that are used by many independent winemakers in the country.

This rich history of vines allows Italy to make more wines that are high quality and distinctive than in any other country. Italy might be most known for the noble reds it produces and fine aging, but there are also wonderful kinds of rosso, which include the vini novelli that should be enjoyed within only a few months of the time that the grapes have been harvested.

Italy also produces a wide number of high quality white wines. They range in flavor from oak-aged to fruity and many varieties are very deep and substantial. Some areas are famous for wines that are bubbly, from the light, frizzy fizzante to the completely sparkling spumante that has been made with the sealed tank charmat, or it's been produced in the bottle-fermented classic method or in the tradizionale way.

While it wouldn't be right to claim one Italian wine supreme over others, it is worth mentioning that many Italian wines are among the best in the world. What is encouraging is that Italy continues to make wines that are of the highest caliber and the methods keep getting better. Italians are more committed than ever to meeting the demand for high quality wines at every price point.