The vine has an extensive history in Southern Italy. Oenotria, the land of vines, is what the Greeks lovingly named the modern ‘Mezzogiorno,’ the southern part of the Italian boot along with Sicily. Southern Italy was effectively a Greek colony in the centuries before Christ, so much so, the South was called ‘Magna Graecia,’ literally ‘Greater Greece.’ When the Greeks colonized Southern Italy they brought with them one of the signs of civilization: the vine.
Technically, the Phoenicians were the first to bring the vine to Southern Italy, but it was the Greeks who brought both viticulture and viniculture, fundamentally a wine-making culture. From this point on wine became established in Southern Italy, and its wines were imbibed by Roman leaders across the Roman Empire, even Julius Caesar himself sung praises of these wines. Southern Italian wine was a well-respected wine well before Barolo or Chianti had been made.
However, across the centuries, wine in the South became less well-regarded and more notorious as it became the number one source of Italian box wine. Wines from Apulia, Calabria, Campania, Sicily, and Sardinia, were used to buttress feeble vintages from Northern and Central Italy. They were even utilized in certain Southern French wines for the very same reasons as their Northern Italian counterparts. What a fall from grace!
At the present time, Southern Italian wine receives the notice and approval of the market, in particular in the States, where Italian wine is witnessing unprecedented acclaim, at least compared with French wine. The renaissance of the Mezzogiorno’s wines is because of various factors all originating from the modernisation of the South’s manufacturing industry. Grape production has been restructured commencing with massive investments made in the vineyard, thus making lower-yielding crops normal rather than the aberration, which is a step away from jug wine production.
In wine making, engineering has progressed from the middle ages to the modern age in a brief period of time. Refrigeration technology has allowed producers to provide quality white wine, as well as red. The arrival of wine advisors and major Italian Groups, for example Gruppo Italiano Vini, Zonin, Antinori, Avignonesi, and Mezza Corona, have contributed to the modernising of both viniculture and viticulture in Southern Italy. Despite these changes, or rather due to them, Southern Italy is faced with a wine identity crisis as producers decide whether to modernize or remain true to the region’s roots.
Nic Haegeli still considers himself rather new to the wine business, but he currently has a few years of expertise as a wine manager at Colonial Spirits, an Acton liquor store. With a BA in History and a Master of Public Policy in International Relations, Nic never imagined himself working with wine. However, he did grow up in Alsace, France… Hence it makes sense when you know where he comes from.
Colonial Spirits of Acton would like to invite you to stop by our store for one of our many wine tastings. If you are unable to come by the physical store, then please consider our online wine store. Colonial Spirits Delivers anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts!
