Embark on a wine tasting holiday in Italy and discover the historic events and cultural changes that brought about significant changes in the Italian wine industry.
The vine was introduced to Italy in the 9th century BC by the Greek settlers, who had also called it "Oenotria", the country of the vine. Under the Roman Empire, the winemaking sector experienced great advances in winemaking techniques and the cultivation of grape varieties. The fall of Rome did not mean the end of viticulture. The small cities breaking up the peninsula began a fierce competition to establish its cultural characteristic, each state protecting its wine traditions and grape varieties. This explains the development of the extraordinary diversity of wines from Italy. Wine tasting in Italy can help you uncover the history and traditions of this wine country.
After the Second World War, the emergence of the Italian middle class led to an increase in demand for higher quality wines and the economic growth needed to produce great wines. The wine industry experienced a big change with the arrival of new technologies, the production of lower yields and a lesser role for cooperatives
Italy is the largest wine producer in the world with an average of 60 million hectoliters. The history of the Italian vineyard began under the aegis of the Greeks who explored the Mediterranean around the year 1000 BC. The first vineyards were planted in Sicily and Calabria. Wine tasting holidays in Italy can be specifically designed to help you explore the wine region of your choice.
Subsequently, the vineyards slowly extended to the north. From the seventh century, the Etruscans cultivated the vineyard on the lands of present-day Tuscany. Under the Roman Empire, the vineyard reached northern Italy and crossed the Alps to France and Italy. After the invasion of Goths and Lombards, viticulture was reduced to nothing, then it experienced a new golden age during the Renaissance in the thirteenth century.
After the fall of the Medici, in the sixteenth century, Italy fell into the hands of the Spanish Habsburgs and entered a period of decadence that sounded the death knell of viticulture. Because of the political upheavals of the nineteenth century, vine cultivation was only able to develop at the regional level, until phylloxera and World War II occurred. Wine tasting in Italy can be an important factor that helps us understand the history and wine-making traditions of the country.
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