CH15 IT Intro Flashcards
Describe the early history of Italian wine
Italy has long history; goes back at least to 8th century BCE with both Phoenician influence in central Italy in the Etruscan period, and Greek influence in the Greek colonies, which covered much of S IT
It was likely the the Etruscans who exported wine culture to Mediterranean FR from the 6th century BCE onward
Describe Italian wine history in the time of Pliny the Elder. When was this?
By the time Pliny the Elder died (79CE), wine culture was well established in IT and Pliny even writes about the fame of individual vintatges
Massive expansion of the city of Rome created a home mkt for wine
With Roman expansion in the Mediterranean, the possibility of export in amphorae to Gaul (today = ~ FR) and Spain
In this period, the most prestigious wines were from modern day Lazio and N Campania, tho wine was made & consumed in the rest of the IT peninsula
For ex: wines form the N of the peninsula are commented on in writing from the time of Emperor Augustus (31 BCE to 14 CE)
How did wine production change after then end of the Roman Empire? When was this?
After end of Roman Empire (5th century CE), wine production continued as part of standard Med diet of grain, olives, and wine,
BUT the market for fine wine and the export of wine halted
When did the Italian economy revive after the fall of the Roman Empire in 5th century CE
How did this affect wine production?
The economy revived in the 11th to 14th centuries w/ the cities of Genoa and Venice becoming trading centers for Europe as a whole
As a result, they became centers for trading wine
Florence became the banking capital of Europe w/ families such as Antinori making the RR in banking and then investing in land and wine production
Similarly, the Frescobaldi family made $$ as traders and became important landowners and wine producers
Both families continue to be major players in wine production
From the 13th century on, wine became an important cash crop while much of IT was sharecropped
How did wine production look during the 13th century in Italy?
Much of IT was farmed on a sharecropping basis
Landowners typically took 1/2 of the produce of the land, w/ peasants keeping the other 1/2 to live on and occasionally sell
Most wine was consumed locally, w/ a proportion being exported by boat to other parts of Europe since transport by land was difficult
When do we start to see names of some Italian grape varieties mentioned in books?
When was the first dedicated writing?
During the 14th century
Examples include Barbera and Trebbiano
The first treatment of IT grape varieties was written by the Renaissance botanist Andrea Bacci in the late 16th century
Little is known about the quality of wines produced in the following centuries, who exports appear to have reduced
When did the modern era of Italian wine production start? What is noteworthy about that time?
Modern era of IT wine begins late in 19th century
Styles known today were beginning to be established. For ex: Chianti became a wine predominantly based on Sangiovese only at the end of 19th century
Int’l varieties began to be planted in NE IT in early 20th century, after phylloxera
Unification of IT in 1861 and Econ boom after WWII set the scene for the contemporary period
What happened to Italy’s wine industry after WWII? How did it evolve from there?
Economic boom
Emphasis was on high yields and volume production
The last 3 decades of 20th century saw the general standard of IT wines develop from simple wine for local, daily consumption or as inexpensive wine for export, to wines that can succeed in a competitive International market
What allowed the Italian wine industry to improve its wines in the 20th century?
The most important innovations were the use of SS tanks and temp control for the white wines in Friuli in the 1960s
AND the success of red Bordeaux blends in Tuscany (known as Super Tuscans, from the 1970s) which raised the ambitions of winemaking in IT
What has happened most recently in Italian wine to raise ambitions of winemakers?
After the success of Super Tuscans (beginning in the 1970s) winemakers in IT had higher ambitions
More recently, in the last 2 decades, there has been a renewed emphasis on quality from IT’s abundance of local grape varieties, alongside the great successes of Pinot Grigio and Prosecco
What is the latitude range of Italy?
- IT is a long, thin country, w/ latitudes ranging from 35-47N
What are the main geographic aspects of Italy that affect the climate and grape growing?
What is the general climate?
Generally, the climate is Mediterranean (very suitable for viticulture)
The Apennine Mountains —> Provides a wide range of sites
The Mediterranean Sea (Ligurian and Tyrrhenian on W, Adriatic on E, Sicily in the S, Ionian Sea SE) affects many areas, although some inland areas have a continental climate (ex: Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto)
Name the 20 regions of Italy
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Valle d’Aosta (not highlighted in D3)
Piedmont/ Piemonte
Lombardy (not highlighted in D3)
Trentino Alto Adige
Veneto
Fruili Venezia Giulia
Liguria (not highlighted in D3)
Tuscany
Lazio
Campania
Basilicata
Calabria (not highlighted in D3)
Sicily
Sardinia
Emilia-Romagna (not highlighted in D3)
Umbria
Marche
Abruzzo
Molise (not highlighted in D3)
Puglia
What are the general vineyard management practices in Italy?
Since WWII, there has been a nearly complete change from traditional forms of grape growing to modern, specialized vineyards and vines on trellises
Pergola training had been common in high volume production areas in the N, mixed planting was common in Tuscany (vines in same field w/ olive trees, veg, grain), and bush vines common in S.
Pergola and bush still in use in some places, for ex: shade of pergola, or bush vines in hot climate in S where hand work is also less expensive
Preferences vary by region and are noted by region
What are the top grape varieties in Italy?
IT is noted for large # of local varieties, to which int’l were added
Estimates vary between 375-500 ID’d varieties (more than any other country), many strongly assoc. w/ a particular region
Some varieties are extensively planted
Sangiovese — Widely planted
Pinot Grigio — widely planted
Trebbiano
Glera
Montepulciano
Catarratto — Mainly Sicily
Merlot
Chard
Primitivo
Barbera
