The Greeks invaded and conquered Sicilia before the Roman era and they introduced grapes in about 800BC (grape varieties that are still being grown today). These vines began to be grown all over Southern Italy and the wine culture with it. It wasn’t long before Italy became known as Oenotria “wine land”! Greek wine trading was small in comparison with the eventual trading developed by the Romans – the Greeks expanded trading and winegrowing to their colonies in Italy, Spain and Massilia (Marseilles in France). The Romans were far more far reaching to every corner of their great empire – Italy, France, Germany, N. Africa, England and Spain.
The Roman Empire made wine a part of every day culture. It became a very important business and a part of agriculture. They were the first to develop viticultural techniques and knowledge of which grapes grew best in which climates. The Italians were also the first to use barrels for storage and also bottles. They even had a God of wine – Bacchus – who had morphed from a Greek God. Poets and scholars wrote about wine – everyone loved it!
After the fall of the Roman Empire wine was upheld in the religious circles as an integral part of ceremony – particularly in the Catholic Church. France became the leader of the world wine trade for many years. Tuscany (or Toscana as it was known) emerged as the heart of Italy’s wine culture in the 17th and 18th Centuries while the rest of Italy – which was divided into independent provinces – still suffered from poverty after years of war.
