Wine: The Beating Heart of Italian Cuisine and Culture
- Amanda Jones
- May 24, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: May 25, 2023
Amanda Jones
What do rolling green hills, Roman Gods, ancient funerals, and a casual dinner have in common?
The answer: Wine.
Wine has had a larger impact on society than any other beverage besides perhaps water. Its roots in early human history have allowed it to touch every culture around the world for centuries. One such culture is that of Italy, which has not only embraced wine as a way of life, but has woven the cuisine surrounding it into the country's history.
When visiting Italy, cuisine may be the first thought on many must-see lists. In fact Italy is well-known for many dishes, drinks, and desserts. However, none is more prominent and integral to the culture as wine is. From the Greeks that formed colonies on the peninsula to the thousands of vineyards still operating today, Italian cuisine just wouldn't be the same without this age-old drink.
A Brief History
Wine is predicted to have been invented during the stone age by fermenting grapes in clay jars. With its roots nestled deep into human history, it began to tap into the earliest of human civilizations.
The Egyptians devloped the practice even more. They created a clear process for wine making involving pressing grapes in large vats by six men. This practice, though now automated, is still very similar. Wine cuisine then spread to the Greeks. They developed further the growth of grape vines. In 1000 BC wine spread to a new culture; a Greek colony that had grown independent of the Greeks. This, of course, was Rome.
Wine and the Romans
The Romans developed winemaking and culture into what it is today. For one, they created the practice of fermenting wine in wood barrels. This completely changed the flavor of the beverage by
making it sweeter. However, Romans didn't start drinking the wine they exported until 146 BC. Cato’s book on winemaking ‘De Agi Cultura’, made Wine the drink of the future.
The Romans indulged in wine in a social setting, specifically involving poetry readings and philosophical debates. However, moderation in the culture had not yet been established, and these parties would often end in a very drunk crowd.
Wine became so vital to Roman culture that it filtered into religion. The drink was served at funeral feasts and poured into tombs. The Romans even created a God of wine similar to the Greeks called Lyssa.
As the Roman Catholic religion rose to prominence wine became a vital part of the religion, representing the “Blood of Christ ''. It was thanks to this religious practice that winemaking survived the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD and Western Europe’s dark ages.
Italian Wine Culture
The creation of wine slowly developed overtime, especially through the renaissance. Its medicinal uses were discovered (primarily because it could dissolve medication), vine diseases were solved, and schools of sommeliers and wine tasters formed (attributing to a more sophisticated wine culture).
What makes Italian wine culture unlike any other in the world is that the drink has been a prominent
part of the country from its roots. The cities, even those considered ancient in today's standards, formed around a distinct use of wine.
Wine also serves to make meals taste better. “We usually get used to things affecting our senses very fast. For example, you may hear a buzz when you walk into a room, but if you stay in that room, the sound will seem to disappear. The same is correct for food. When you eat, you might say, ‘oh this first bite is really good,’ but as you keep taking more bites, you stop tasting the food. Wine is meant to cleanse your palate so that you can taste and enjoy every bite,” Todd Bolton, Chanti Tourguide, explains.
Italians also are careful about how what they eat and drink work with their body (hence the common advice that it is “forbidden” to order a Cappuccino in Italy after 11am - it hurts digestion). Since wine is known to help with bad cholesterol and improvement in blood circulation, this alcohol is seen as beneficial instead of a potential danger.
Locals explain that wine is served to kids in small glasses as early as twelve, and it is completely acceptable (even though the legal drinking age is eighteen).
“You rarely ever see Italians get drunk. It's because they dont drink just to drink. They make it a part of their lives,” Todd says.
Digging Deeper into Wine Wisdom
For many, wine can be a confusing art. It seems so simple, yet at the same time there are schools and masters in the subject. To many, wine, no matter what bottle it comes in, may just be regarded as “wine”. There is much more to the drink than that, of course, especially in Italy. In order to take a glimpse of the diversity and thought put behind wine making, it may be helpful to understand the classification of wines in the country, the same classification that applies to the wine Italy exports around the world.
Italy has four “tiers” of wine. Though the Italians are far less traditional in wine regulations than other cultures, especially the French, there are still strict instructions for wine makers aiming to place their wine in a certain category.
The top tier is DOCG (Designation of Origin and Guaranteed) wine. Just because a wine falls under this “elite” category, doesn’t mean it's better. It simply means it's more “authentic” to Italy. The area where the wine is made is usually important, historical or political. In order for a wine to be approved as a DOCG, representatives of the Italian government take six of the same bottles. Two bottles go to a chemical laboratory to test their chemical makeup. Two bottles are taste tested by government representatives. The final two bottles are stored for quality check ups in the future. If the wine passes this extensive test, the government grants the vineyard bands to label them into this category. However, they usually only get a certain amount of bands, making this wine less produced.
Stepping one tier lower lies DOC wine (Denomination of Origin). The government also tightly regulates this. These wines are named after locations. Grapes must be grown in the zone that the wine is named after (such as Chianti). In order for this zoned wine to have uniformity, wineries must follow a strict recipe in accordance to the type of wine. Due to the thousands of zones in Italy, these wines fall under a wide range of prices.
The second to last tier is called IGT (Typical Geographic Indication) wine. Prior to 1994, this category didn’t exist. It was originally nicknamed “super tuscan” in order to separate it from the bottom tier. This wine is more of a glorified table wine. The one rule is that the grapes have to be grown in one of the twenty wine regions in Italy. These wines can truly be any type, quality or price.
Finally the bottom tier is wine known as Vino. Wine that falls into the bottom tier is most vital to Italian culture. Vino has very few regulations, in fact the only two rules are that the wine has to be made of grapes and can’t include sugar. These grapes don’t have to be from Italy either. These types of wines are very simple and are only allowed to be sold as “red wine” or “white wine.” They may taste a bit watered down, but it is what most Italians buy and drink on a daily basis. Vino is the type of wine that will be bought when one gets the house wine from a traditional small restaurant in the heart of a town. Due to its light regulations, it's relatively cheap and is consumed in casual manners alongside any meal, especially dinner. This wine is the type that makes wine what it is in Italy: casual, social, and extremely prevalent wherever one goes.
Visiting Chianti
If interested in the deep wine culture of Italy, visiting a vineyard in Chianti is a must. Step out of a short bus ride from Florence to take in the deep green trees covering the rolling hills. By booking a tour, a visitor can see the entire process of wine making, from the vines of grapes, to the pressing, to the fermentation of the wine, to the packaging. It's a process passed down from generation to generation, some centuries old and some just starting their tradition.
Mercades Olson, here on a work trip, describes her experience. “I enjoy learning about the process of the wine and the views of vineyards. There are so many subtle differences between the types of wines that I would have never thought of.”
that you are sitting by. Sitting in that setting creates conversation. It's crazy the connections you can make,” says Kate Fahey, who's taking a break from her medical residency in the U.S. to visit Italy.
Between wine tastings, take in the views of the stunning landscape. Watch the gentle lavender grass seem to dance a ballet in the breeze, the grape leaves that fall down the hill onto rows of vineyards below, the delicate and vibrant flowers of all colors. Only when standing in this dreamlike scene will one truly understand the beauty of wine, its culture and its history.
Picture 1: Grapes grow year-round during for the first v30 years of a grape vine's life
Picture 2: Metal cylinders have replaced wooden barrels in modern day, allowing far more wine to be exported
Picture 3: When wine is packaged, it must have multiple labels depending on the country its being sold to
Picture 4: Many packaged wines include a family crest on their box, serving to show how generational the industry is.
The True Lifeblood of the Country
In a way, red wine runs through the veins of Italy. It is prominent in every aspect of the culture, from social, to academics, to religion. When visiting the Tuscan region, or any part of Italy in general, understanding how wine is viewed allows any visitor to take one step closer to understanding and embracing the culture of this age-old country.
“Visiting Chianti and learning about wine culture here has changed the way I thought of wine. Going through the wine tour especially, they go through how everything is made. The economic aspect of it and wine being a part of so many people's livelihoods has allowed people to constantly adapt wine to fit new norms of the changing world,” Mercades explains.
Perhaps experiencing such wine culture can form an appreciation of the cuisine that one can take home. Or perhaps it will lead to fond memories of sitting near the Chianti fields having a candlelit dinner, laughing with drink in hand. Regardless of the buildings that may fall, the traditions that may pass, the generations that send their stories on, Wine will always be nestled in the heart of Italy.
“It's always there, it's always been on the table,” Todd Bolton smiles. And though that one glass of table wine might not seem like much, it is a beacon of the truest part of Italian culture and cuisine.
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