Italy's traditionally localised approach to winemaking has resulted in a rich tapestry of cherished vineyards, but their fierce independence also makes them uniquely vulnerable today. Our resident wine expert pays tribute to a nation under siege
The Covid-19 crisis has affected an unthinkably broad swathe of the planet, but it has been especially cruel to Italy. For anyone whose passions include art, fashion, culture or cuisine, Italy is not just a nation, but also an idea that is suffused with romance, even for people who’ve never been to the country and may never get to go. Though I would never suggest that one person’s suffering is more important than another’s, Italy’s symbolic potency is such that when its heart breaks, so do hearts around the world. As a person whose life and work is intimately bound with Italy—I fell in love with wine while working there over a decade ago—mine is shattered.
The long-term cultural, social and economic effects of this virus—as everywhere—loom ominously on the horizon. A particular cruelty is that it seems to penalise some of the most admirable features of every society—in Italy those include the tendency for young and old to socialise and cohabit, and the generous sharing of food, drink and affectionate hugs and kisses. A perhaps inevitable casualty of the crisis will be that consummate achievement of civilisation known as the aperitivo, a buffet meal of small snacks that bars commonly offer their patrons gratis.
A major challenge for the Italian wine industry is that, apart from a few prominent giants, what makes the Italian wine landscape endlessly fascinating is its individuality and fragmentation. Small land holders, small businesses and tiny productions of virtually forgotten grape varieties give Italian wine characteristics unlike those produced anywhere else in the world. However, small businesses are most susceptible to failure when cashflow is tight and supply chains fracture.
See also: 5 Red Wines That Are Perfect For A Lazy Summer Evening
Italy has long been both defined and challenged by its heterogeneity. The phenomenon known in the country as campanilismo—a sense of hometown pride symbolised by the campanile or bell tower—has held sway since the dissolution of the Roman empire. With it comes a certain wariness of venturing too far into the ways of the outside world, but at the same time a fierce pride and drive to demonstrate a region’s superiority. As such, Italy’s intense localism has been a boon for the development and preservation of idiosyncratic, characterful styles of cuisine, art and wine.
Diversity has made Italian wines extremely popular in markets that are driven by novelty, including the US, parts of Scandinavia and Australia, where being different is often almost more important than being good (of course, some Italian wines are remarkable). But so much variety has been a hindrance in markets driven by prestige, like most in Asia, with the exception of Japan, where consumers are inclined to seek out the very best that they can afford and may be bewildered by the cacophony of Italian dialects each insisting they are the best.
Some first-tier cities in China are showing glimmers of interest for the most prestigious Italian wines like Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello and the Super Tuscans. These wines, I believe, are most likely to bring new converts throughout Asia. In fact, I participated in an auction by the house Gelardini + Romani in May promoting the benchmark wines of Italy like Sassicaia, Masseto, Gran Bussia, Biondi Santi Brunello Riserva, Giacosa Rocche del Falletto and Le Pergole Torte, for which I created limited editions of six specially commissioned Visual Tasting Notes, a series of artworks I create that visually represent my impressions of wines, which I continue to sell to raise funds to support Italian hospital workers.
But, in my view, the key foot soldiers in the battle to keep the Italian wine industry vibrantly alive are its regional ones. Among reds alone, the variations are endless. The floral ruché and lacrima varieties open a new axis in many wine lovers’ understanding of what red wines can be, as do the many sparkling versions like Lambrusco. Wines made from the uva di Troia grape of northern Puglia—one origin myth claims the grape was brought to the peninsula by escaping Trojans—have a finesse and precision arguably equal to much more famous wines from the north. The spectrum of aglianico wines from the south yields riches of bodily, lusty fragrance that seem to have been torn, still pulsating, from the bowels of the earth.
These are also the wines that risk losing potential audiences around the world as people remain unable to travel or unwilling to take a risk on a bottle without the necessary context. In Asia, we are lucky that a longstanding fascination with Italy and Italians’ longstanding fascination with us has meant that you can usually find some of Italy’s regional curios somewhere in every market, often the passion project of a local importer who visited Italy and became convinced by one of the many voices insisting, “No, we’re the best!” Italy’s wine cornucopia contains wealth beyond compare—it would be a tragedy of a different kind if, through the de-globalising drive of the coronavirus, we were to lose it.
Here are ten distinctive Italian red wine varieties you should know: