The Greeks of antiquity imported the vine to Italy, but it was under the Romans that most of the vineyards still found today were planted.
Towards the end of the Empire, legion veterans were granted the privilege of planting vines around the Mediterranean, and this wine was largely exported to Rome.
The culture of innovation and taste continued in the Middle Ages, under Christianization and then in the Renaissance, particularly in Tuscany.
After the war, production focused more on quantity than on quality. But that has changed considerably, the pursuit of quality is now more present than ever. Wines are made throughout Italy, both within the framework of controlled designations of origin and outside them. Today, the country hesitates between preserving its local grape varieties and therefore its winemaking identity, and opening up to foreign grape varieties. The trend leans more towards Italian grape varieties.
Italy’s vineyard is very rich, with each region having its own geological and climatic particularities. However, two main types of terroir can be distinguished: those close to the sea, and those in the interior of the peninsula, on the Apennine mountain range.
