“Every generation re-invents the wheel,” as the saying goes. And in wine, as in Italy, re-invention is part of the culture. “One cannot take chances in the shallow end of the pool – you must dive into the deep end, the unknown, with both dangers and rewards awaiting.”
How can it be that Italian wine, from 1946 until 2000 blazed a trail towards dominance in the wine world with incredible speed and accuracy, only to give it away to the new generation?
Well, if you live long enough, one realizes it is inevitable that we will have constraints on the time available to make one’s mark. And then that time is up. So, somebody must take up the baton, for the race is unending. Competition, desire, ambition, all motivate towards the perfected state. And wine, every year, faces new challenges, be it climatic, economic, societal or fashion.
Right now, we’re in a cauldron of Babel, where all things are enjoyed and shunned simultaneously, depending on the faction representing or dissenting. It’s exciting, for one can virtually taste all of the history of Italian wine in one setting, from the rustic and imperfect to the polished and unblemished. Oak, no oak, Amphora, no amphora. Indigenous yeast, designer yeast. Cork finished or screw top. Glass vessel or compostable box container. Red, white, rosé, yellow, orange, brown. Sparkling, still, dry, sweet. Expensive or value driven. Wine allows anyone with any taste level to enter and participate. It’s democratic, it socialistic, it’s anarchistic, it’s compliant. It’s all of the above. Pick and choose – for now.
I anticipate new forms of expression and modulation from the different camps that represent interests in Italian wine. I imagine it to be somewhat like Burning Man, where all groups are present, tooting their own horns and in many cases celebrating other causes along the way. I see the groups on websites, whether they are devoted to the perspective of women, non-binary or minority groups, even the bastion of the old guard establishment – middle aged and elderly white cisgender males. They’re all out there dancing in the streets where Italian wine flows.
Again, this piece isn’t about how wine tastes or the latest DOC/DOCG. I’m reporting on observations made about the direction of Italian wine in 2024. And like much of what we are witnessing today in the world, there is a not-so-quiet revolution in the making.
And along with that, there is the commercial behemoth that is Italian wine, the good, the bad and the ugly. One of the largest producers of wine in the world, historically, since the end of World War II. An endless fountain of fiscal support for hundreds of thousands of Italians, working in the fields, in the winery, in sales and marketing, in retail and restaurant, in importation and distribution, in government regulation and enforcement, in shipping, in warehousing, in delivery and in all the satellite industries that have sprung up to support the cause.
That is what makes up Italian wine nowadays – it’s both exciting and terrifying, challenging and rewarding. And the end user, the wine lover, stands to win, over and over, in this heroic venture. © written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy