History of Italian Winemaking
Follow the path of Italian winemaking through its history:

Ancient Times
* The Phoenicians introduced the Mediterranean societies to the "nectar of grapes."
* The tribes of Italy thrived as wine growers and makers, and wine became one of the most valuable items to trade throughout Italy and Europe.
* Italy was called, "Oenotria," the "Land of Wine," because of the Mediterranean sunshine and mountain air currents that enhanced the growth of vines.

The Greeks, Etruscans and Romans in Italy
* The Greeks settled in southern Italy and Sicily and brought new vine-growing techniques to the area, and the Etruscans made wines in the hills of central Italy.
* The Romans took the best of both Greek and Etruscan methods and improved them by developing vine-training and pruning methods that lasted for centuries.
* During the reign of Lucius, before 121 B.C., Italy was known for having the largest harvests and the finest vintages in the Mediterranean.
* Etruscan wines were sold nationally and internationally, as were Basilicata's Lucano and Sicily's Murgentino.

Post-Romans to Medieval Times
* Wine-making in Italy decreased with the fall of the Roman Empire.
* The Catholic Church had the most influence over Italy and its people, so the production of wine became more refined as it was tied with the celebration of Mass.
* Catholic monks were nearly the only Italians cultivating vines, and they brought their vines with them as they traveled as missionaries.
* The vine care and production methods were passed down through the lines of monks.
* The number of wine-producing regions in Italy grew and the different types of wine increased as the grapes were exposed to different climates.
* France, Spain and Portugal were known for their wines, but the Chianti region came into its red wine glory and Italy, with its numerous outstanding wines, followed suit.

18th Century
* Every vineyard in northern Italy was destroyed by frost.
* Growers were forced to plant new vineyards with the most weather-resistant and productive grape varieties.
* Europeans began looking at the making of wine as a science instead of a mystery, so the quality of vinification techniques increased.

19th Century
* Wine-making advanced rapidly due to introduction of even newer methods of vinification, aging and corking.
* Marsala, Barolo and Chianti became known throughout Europe as fine wines.
* Italy's diverse climates and lands allowed many different vines to be grown, and consumers around the world appreciated the new wines.
* At the end of the century, phylloxera, an insect that feeds on the roots and leaves of vines, destroyed nearly all of the vineyards in Europe.

20th Century
* Wine-producers planted newly-developed clones of native and foreign vines.
* They focused on increasing the amount of wine produced during the long growing season and ignored the quality of the wine.
* During the wars and the periods of depression, Italy became known throughout the world as a producer of low-cost wines, which hurt the image of Italian wineries abroad.
* DOC laws were passed in the 1960s to increase the quality of wines and prompted the "modern renaissance" of Italian wines.
* In 1980, the Italian government passed DOCG laws, which are stricter than the DOC regulations, in order to employ higher standards for certain wines.

Today
* Italy has more types of vines planted than any other country.
* More than 100 official Vitis Vinifera vines are grown in Italy (Vitis Vinifera: the vine species that produces more than 99 percent of the world's wines today and has thousands of varieties).
* Italy produces the greatest range of distinctive wines in the world.