History of Wine in Italy
Winemaking and consumption in Italy started before the advent of the Christian era. Though the region between Nile and Persian Gulf is supposed to be the birthplace of wine, it was the Phoenicians who are believed to have introduced wine to Italy in general and Tuscany in particular. It is this long history with about one million vineyards under cultivation that has helped Italy become the world’s largest producer of wine.
Roman’s Mulsum to Modern Moscato
Greek settlers in Sicily and Southern parts of Italy found the moderate Italian climate conducive to grape cultivation and winemaking. They termed the place Enotria i.e. a land of wines and introduced winemaking techniques around 800 B.C. Etruscans from Asia Minor who settled mostly in central Italy also produced wine. Spaniards introduced wine into Sardinia. Italian wine production flourished around second century B.C. after the Carthaginians were defeated by the Romans.
Romans improved the techniques previously introduced and perfected the art of winemaking. They contributed to the spread of organized cultivation of vineyards, mass manufacture of wine, and storage of wine in barrels and bottles. Between 300 B.C. to the beginning of the Christian era the population of Rome crossed one million and there was a sudden spurt in the demand for wine.
Famous Roman poets like Horace and Virgil mention the names of wines like Falernum, Caecubum, and Mamertinum. Romans considered the Falernian region near Naples as their best wine-growing region. White wine produced in this region was treasured and most renowned. Honey was mixed with white wine to produce an aperitif called Mulsum.
Romans produced both red and white wines and the alcoholic content was high. This made the wine unpalatable due to a strong acidic taste and therefore they mixed large amount of water. Romans preferred sweet wine and drank it with almost every meal.
They mixed additives like herbs, spices, chalk, and salt water with the wine.
Romans made immense contribution to viniculture by classifying grapes and describing the climate that best suits cultivation of each variety. They introduced props and trellises that increased yield. They improvised the presses used to extract juice from grapes that were introduced by the Greeks. Romans were the first to store wines in tightly closed wooden barrels. They recognized the importance of aging wines to improve flavor and taste. They preferred wines that matured for ten to twenty five years.
Romans are believed to have introduced the use of glass jars and corks. Their expertise was passed on to other parts of Europe and remained unchanged for centuries. Demand for wine decreased with the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Christian monks of the Roman Catholic Church documented their grape cultivation and wine making techniques during the Dark Ages.
Wine regained its popularity from the fourteenth century. During the nineteenth and early part of twentieth century Italian wine was criticized for its inferior quality and the government stepped in to introduce regulation and stringent quality control measures. These measures bore fruit and Italy today accounts for twenty percent of the world’s total wine production.
References
1) http://www.lifeinitaly.com/wines/roman-history.asp
2) http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/wine/wine.html
3) http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Rich-History-Of-Italian-Wine&id=948444
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