Bridget- History of Italian Wine and Wine and Wealth in Ancient Italy

 Throughout our travels, the class has had multiple opportunities to consume wine with meals and during wine tastings. In our readings from yesterday, we were able to learn more about the history of Italian wine and how the environment and economics of Italy has affected
the wine industry. In the article History of Italian Wine, the author mentions diseases that struck grape vines during the second half of the 19th century (specifically phylloxera, powdery mildew, and peronospora) and the overhaul of the wine production process that was necessary to prevent these diseases from affecting wine production. The article also mentions how this combined with the expansion of international wine markets set the framework for modern Italian winemaking and entrepreneurship. 

When the class was in Orvieto, we had the chance to attend a wine tasting. Here, we had the chance to also tour the wine cellar of the restaurant that the wine tasting took place in. The restaurant was family owned and had been run since the 1950s. They had previously processed their own wine, but were unable to continue to do so due to changing rules about storage of wine (specifically the practice of storing it in barrels). The barrels that we saw downstairs were moldy, which directly connected to the earlier overhaul of the wine production process (as there was also an overhaul of storage practices). The restaurant had found ways around this storage, and came up with creative solutions to keep their business running. 

An example of a barrel where wine was previously stored.

An example of wine bottles being stored in the wall of the cellar.