Read all about the history of wine, how to drink and pair wine, and Sabrina's personal experience at Fattoria del Colle winery with her 2022 Rome Study Abroad Program.
For the Italian’s wine is culture. Drinking with meals is deeply ingrained in the culture as people learn to drink in moderation at an early age. Italian’s appreciate wine the same way a writer appreciates poetry. Like a good poem that reveals nuances each time you read it, a good bottle of wine improves as it ages, its taste changes, it becomes smoother, and it gets better and better in each sip. Decanting a fine wine gives it another mini age of maturity where just an hour can produce a different flavor to savor. Beauty can be seen in both grape vines and poetry verses. It can be smelt, savored and tasted while also being recited, marveled at, understood and inspired.
The production of wine in Tuscany began as early as 8th century BC by the Etruscans, ancient Greeks from Anatolia. Wine vineyards became popular because the Tuscan landscape was fertile and ideal for the growing of the grapes. Vineyards ended up spreading so far and taking over so much land that around 92 AD Emperor Domitian had to destroy vineyards throughout the country to ensure there would be enough land for food production. Over the years, wine became a loved beverage that was enjoyed by many over good company and engaging conversation. Throughout Italy, different types of wines are produced with more than 2000 local grape varieties within Italy's most known wine producing regions of Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily and the
northeastern region.
The leaders of this program organized a lovely trip to the Tuscan region where I was given the opportunity to visit one of the wineries of the Chianti region called Fattoria del Colle. Fattoria del Colle is a beautiful estate covering 336 hectares of 17 vineyards and 6 olive groves in addition to its adorable country inn and restaurants. The estate was founded in 1592 by Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s ancestors who cultivated the land until 1919 where Donatella’s great-grandfather took over and turned the land into vineyards. In 1998 Donatella created a new line of high-quality products and became the first winery in Italy to have an entirely female workforce where men were not allowed to make the wine. Having an all-female team was unheard off as Donatella went down in history as a feminist role model bringing a tale of tradition, territory, and passion into the wine business.
In ancient Roman times, women were not able to drink wine as the romans believed that wine could only expose women to dangers and encourage inappropriate behavior. Women drinking wine was forbidden because men feared that they would not be able to control women under the influence of wine. Males were the dominate gender and women were seen as weak and susceptible to any negative factors. If this idea was taken away from males, the paternalistic Roman society would come crumbling down. To test if women drank wine, women would have to take a breathalyzer test and if they were “positive”, they would be punished by her husband. This punishment might include being locked up in a room, beaten, and even murdered for drinking wine. Women were required to be kissed by their husband and other close male relatives to check if they had drunk wine or not that day. This practice was put into law under “lus osculi” or the right to kiss allowing husbands, fathers, brothers, and cousins the right to kiss the “good” wife on the mouth to ensure her breath did not smell of wine. Lus osculi took away the rights of women to have control over their body and increased the possibility of adultery and abortifacient properties.
A lot has changed since the Roman times and a lot of that change is because of Donatella and Fattoria del Colle. During my visit to Fattoria del Colle, I tried multiple different wines, including Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Superiore, Leone Rosso, and my personal favorite Cenerentola. Throughout the wine tasting experience I learned the history behind each wine and how to taste wine like a pro. Drinking wine is not simply a sip, a comment, and move on to the next glass. The correct way to drink wine involves all five senses while you swirl, look, taste, and analyze the wine.
We first swirled the wine in the glass to allow the wine to oxygenate, bringing out complex aromatics. The way a wine responds to swirling gives you an idea of its texture and viscosity. Wines that are high in alcohol content or dense and rich with tannins or sugar will swirl more slowly in the glass and stick to the sides. Because of their viscosity, these wines produce more wine legs or wine tears, so you’ll see small streams or droplets left on the sides of your glass after you’ve swirled. This helps separate the aromas in the wine, enriching the smelling and tasting experience. As you swirl the wine, you are also looking at the color of the wine that will give you an idea of the age, grape variety, density of flavor, and acidity of the wine. Next, you will taste the wine and analyze the taste (sweet, fruity, bitter, rich, etc.), texture (heavy, sharp, smooth, silky, etc.), and length (long, moderate, short). Lastly, we went over how to pair wines with food and why they are paired in a specific way.
Pairing food with wine can be difficult when you don’t know what kind of wine to pick with what food. These pairings allow chefs to pair individual dishes with different wines in hopes of enhancing the flavor of both the food and the beverage. It’s all about the balance. The wine must not hide the food and the food must not hide the wine. Red wine typically pairs well with red meat because red wine is higher in tannins that creates a dry taste so the richness in fatty meat creates the balance. Because of the aroma and the fruitiness of the wine, red wine is served between 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, white wine can be a better complement to fish because of its higher acidity. A good rosé can be perfectly paired with most foods since it’s refreshing notes go well with almost everything. It’s important to note that rosé wine is made from red wine grapes, but it spends less time in contact with the skins which prevents it from becoming full-blown red wine. Both white wine and rosé wine is served colder between 41-48 degrees Fahrenheit to lift the more delicate acidity and aroma of the wine itself.
After visiting the winery, I have a completely different perspective on wines and a new appreciation of the wine tasting process. My mother is the type of person who needs one glass of red wine every night with dinner. I never understood why she did this every night until now. The visit to Fattoria del Colle has made me a “wine snob”. Not only can I pick out the correct wine at dinner or grocery stores and know how to taste wine like a pro, but I can also bring the information that I learned during wine tasting back to my mother to teach her a few things about her favorite wine. I cannot wait to head home and enjoy meals with friends and family while I appreciate the art of wine and the Italian culture.
About the Author
Sabrina Tirrill is a senior honors student at Colorado State University studying General Psychology with a minor in Business. Sabrina has always had an interest in travel and has travelled to five other countries before coming to Italy. This study abroad program to Rome, Italy was a great experience to kick Sabrina off into her travels as she will be studying
abroad for the second time this fall in Prague, Czech Republic. Sabrina’s hobbies include reading, playing with her dog, spending time with friends and family, and enjoying the simple things in life.
Sabrina would like to thank Dr. Julia and Dr. Carl for setting up this wonderful program and for allowing her to participate in the extravagant excursions, historical landmark visits, and enriching culture of Italy. She would also like to thank her family for supporting and encouraging her throughout her first study abroad program. Sabrina has had an experience of a lifetime and has made friends and memories that will still with her for the rest of her life.
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