The Vines of Southern Italy

The vine has a long history in Southern Italy. Oenotria, the land of vines, is what the Greeks affectionately called the modern ‘Mezzogiorno,’ the southern part of the Italian boot as well as Sicily. Southern Italy was a Greek colony in the centuries before Christ, so much so, the South was known as ‘Magna Graecia,’ literally ‘Greater Greece.’ When the Greeks colonized Southern Italy they brought with them one of the markers of civilization: the vine.

To be specific,, the Phoenicians were the first to bring the vine to Southern Italy, although it was the Greeks who brought both viticulture and viniculture, fundamentally a wine-making culture. From that point on wine has been grown in Southern Italy, and its wines were loved by Roman leaders throughout the Roman Empire, even Julius Caesar himself sung praises of these wines. Southern Italian wine was a well regarded wine well before Barolo or Chianti had been made.

Nonetheless throughout the centuries, wine in the South became less revered and more notorious as it became the main source of Italian box wine. Wines from Apulia, Calabria, Campania, Sicily, and Sardinia, were utilized to bolster feeble vintages from Northern and Central Italy. They were even employed in several Southern French wines for the very same reasons as their Northern Italian counterparts. What a fall from grace!

At the time, Southern Italian wine has gained the attention and approval of the market, particularly in the States, where Italian wine is experiencing rare recognition, at least compared with French wine. The renaissance of the Mezzogiorno’s wines is due to a number of factors all stemming from the modernizing of the South’s industry. Grape production has been restructured starting with massive investments made in the vineyard, thus making lower-yielding crops the norm rather than the exception, which is a step away from jug wine production.

In wine manufacturing, engineering has improved from the middle ages to the modern age in a brief period of time. Refrigeration technology has permitted producers to produce quality white wine, in addition to red. The arrival of wine advisors and major Italian Groups, such as Gruppo Italiano Vini, Zonin, Antinori, Avignonesi, and Mezza Corona, have given to the modernisation 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 presently has many years of experience 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 envisioned himself working with wine. However, he did grow up in Alsace, France… Therefore it makes sense when you know where he comes from.Colonial Spirits of Acton would like to invite you to come by our liquor store for one of our many wine tastings. If you can not stop by the physical store, then please consider our online wine store. Colonial Spirits Delivers throughout Eastern Massachusetts!