Italy is home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Even before the Romans expanded to control all of Italy, Greek and Etruscan settlers had begun cultivating grapes. Grape cultivation began with simply identifying wild grapes. They then began to pick and choose different qualities to crossbreed. It was the Romans who started the push towards modern Italian wines, though. They created the first mass vineyards and began to standardize the production of grapes. Because of that, some of the cultivars of grapes used to make wines are hundreds or thousands of years old.
Vini DOP
Vini DOP refers to an EU classification of wine with a protected designation of origin. This is wine that has to be a certain type of grape from a certain part of Italy. It is the most restrictive and protective category of wine that the EU offers. The oldest Italian wines tend to fall under this statute. This means that they are made from Italian grapes grown in certain parts of Italy. In many cases, the restrictions are so serious that the wine from one region of Italy has to have a different name than the wine from a different region of Italy. These are very serious designations that carry a long history.
Scarcity and History
Due to the protective status of vini DOP, there are some wines that you only get from Italy. They are scarce flavors and textures. You can find them all over the world but they are produced by only one region. They are also a connection to history. The Italian wines sometimes date back to ancient Rome, the Papal States, or the Spanish conquest. When you open one of these wines, you are opening a piece of world history. Also, they taste great. You can find many of them at Townecellarswines.com. You can also follow them on Google+ for more updates.
