The Rich History Of Italian Wine
Minggu, 06 Januari 2013
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The history of Italian wine begins with the first wines that originated in the Middle East. The Old Testament has many references to wine. Wine was used by the early Minoan, Greek, and Etruscan civilizations, which brings us to the roots of Italian wine history.
Italy is one of the oldest wine regions in the world, and the history of Italian wine has roots that are even older. When we tell the history of Italian wine, we must speak of people who have been consuming and relishing wine for thousands of years. Its ancient origins trace to the Mesopotamians, sometime between 4000 and 3000 B.C., who lived near present-day Iran. Many left their marks on the Mediterranean shores. The further study of Italian wine history tells us the Spaniards brought vines into Sardinia, Sicily and other places centuries after the Arabs and Phoenicians planted what many believe to be the first "foreign" vines in Italy, beginning the history of Italian wine.
The Etruscans (English name for the people of ancient Italy and Corsica whom the ancient Romans called Etrusci) from Asia Minor also produced wines. The history of Italian wine was then passed to the Romans who recognized the potential of the slopes that gave them Falernum (renowned wine produced in ancient Rome, often mentioned in Roman literature but has since disappeared), Caecubum (came from a small territory, ager Caecubus, at Amyclae in coastal Latium), Mamertinum and other heady wines eulogized by poets from Horace (65 B.C. - 8 B.C.) to Virgil (70 B.C - 19 B.C). The Mycenaean Greeks settled in Sicily and southern Italy in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., driven by unsettled conditions at home, and found the climate so beneficial to growing grape vines that the ancient Greeks were prompted to nickname their colonies "Oenotria" ("oinos" meaning wine in Greek), the land of wine.
Romans loved their wine, drinking it with every meal. Roman red and white wines contained more alcohol and were generally more acidic, sturdy and powerful than modern fine wines. It was customary to mix wine, which may otherwise have been unpalatable, with a good proportion of water. They preferred sweet wine, but interestingly their best, most prized wine was white coming from the area that they thought was the best wine-growing region, the Falernian region near Naples. They mixed additives such as honey with this wine making an aperitif called mulsum. Herbs and spices were also often added. Wine and salt water was known to be mixed. Chalk was mixed with wine as well to reduce acidity.
When we study the history of Italian wine, we note the population explosion in Rome from 300 B.C. to the beginning of the Christian era, when demand for wine increased greatly. The Romans made large contributions to the ancient art of viniculture; they are credited for using props and trellises. Italian wine history recognizes the Romans as the first to understand that aged wines taste better and that certain wines should be aged between 10 and 25 years. They improved the Greek presses used for extracting juice, and classified which grapes grew best in which climate, increasing yields. The study of Italian wine history teaches that the Romans were the first to store wine in wooden barrels, understand that wines kept in tightly closed containers improved with age, and how to utilize the cork.
Italy is the largest producer of wine in the world with more vineyards than any other country, including France. Grapes are grown in almost every part of Italy, with more than 1 million vineyards under cultivation. Italian wine history takes us on a journey of over 2,000 years. Today, Italian wines tend to be higher in acid, dry and can be light bodied as in a simple Chianti, medium bodied as in a Montepulcino, or full bodied as in an Amarone or Brunello.
Italy is one of the oldest wine regions in the world, and the history of Italian wine has roots that are even older. When we tell the history of Italian wine, we must speak of people who have been consuming and relishing wine for thousands of years. Its ancient origins trace to the Mesopotamians, sometime between 4000 and 3000 B.C., who lived near present-day Iran. Many left their marks on the Mediterranean shores. The further study of Italian wine history tells us the Spaniards brought vines into Sardinia, Sicily and other places centuries after the Arabs and Phoenicians planted what many believe to be the first "foreign" vines in Italy, beginning the history of Italian wine.
The Etruscans (English name for the people of ancient Italy and Corsica whom the ancient Romans called Etrusci) from Asia Minor also produced wines. The history of Italian wine was then passed to the Romans who recognized the potential of the slopes that gave them Falernum (renowned wine produced in ancient Rome, often mentioned in Roman literature but has since disappeared), Caecubum (came from a small territory, ager Caecubus, at Amyclae in coastal Latium), Mamertinum and other heady wines eulogized by poets from Horace (65 B.C. - 8 B.C.) to Virgil (70 B.C - 19 B.C). The Mycenaean Greeks settled in Sicily and southern Italy in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., driven by unsettled conditions at home, and found the climate so beneficial to growing grape vines that the ancient Greeks were prompted to nickname their colonies "Oenotria" ("oinos" meaning wine in Greek), the land of wine.
Romans loved their wine, drinking it with every meal. Roman red and white wines contained more alcohol and were generally more acidic, sturdy and powerful than modern fine wines. It was customary to mix wine, which may otherwise have been unpalatable, with a good proportion of water. They preferred sweet wine, but interestingly their best, most prized wine was white coming from the area that they thought was the best wine-growing region, the Falernian region near Naples. They mixed additives such as honey with this wine making an aperitif called mulsum. Herbs and spices were also often added. Wine and salt water was known to be mixed. Chalk was mixed with wine as well to reduce acidity.
When we study the history of Italian wine, we note the population explosion in Rome from 300 B.C. to the beginning of the Christian era, when demand for wine increased greatly. The Romans made large contributions to the ancient art of viniculture; they are credited for using props and trellises. Italian wine history recognizes the Romans as the first to understand that aged wines taste better and that certain wines should be aged between 10 and 25 years. They improved the Greek presses used for extracting juice, and classified which grapes grew best in which climate, increasing yields. The study of Italian wine history teaches that the Romans were the first to store wine in wooden barrels, understand that wines kept in tightly closed containers improved with age, and how to utilize the cork.
Italy is the largest producer of wine in the world with more vineyards than any other country, including France. Grapes are grown in almost every part of Italy, with more than 1 million vineyards under cultivation. Italian wine history takes us on a journey of over 2,000 years. Today, Italian wines tend to be higher in acid, dry and can be light bodied as in a simple Chianti, medium bodied as in a Montepulcino, or full bodied as in an Amarone or Brunello.
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