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J
talian
BY
GUIDO
ROSSATI
Wines
Wine
Expert
of
the
Royal
Department
of
Agriculture
of
Italy
The
grapevine
bas
flourished in
Italy
from
the
reniotest
antiquity,
the
naine
of
Oenotria
tellus,
or
land
of
wine,
given
to
it
by
ancient
poets,
attesting
the
pre-eminence
already
attained
by
the
peninsula
in
this
line
of
production
from
the
earliest
times.
Nowhere
else,
perhaps,
has
the
product
of
the
grape
played
snch
an
important
part
in
national
life
as
in
ancient
Kome
and
Greece
;
in
art
as
in
literature,
in
religion
as
in
politics.
No
other
country,
perhaps,
as
Italy,
owing
to
its
orograph-
ical
configuration
and
the
notable
différences
in
climate
and
soil
of
its
varions
sections,
shows
such
a
varied
production
of
wines,
from
the
light
wines
of
the
North
to
the
gênerons
vint-
ages
of
the
South.
The
gamut
of
equality
is
probably
un-
paralleled.
There
are
wines
which
seem
to
reflect
the
character
of
the
races
by
whom
they
are
produced.
For
example:
The
Barolo
of
Piedmont
possesses
those
robust
and
austère
qualities
which
mark
the
Piedmontese
people
who
make
it
;
the
Chianti
is
gentle,
graceful
and
vivacious,
like
the
Tuscan
people;
the
Lachrima
Christi
is
warm
and
ardent,
as
Neapolitans
are;
the
Marsala,
strong
and
generous,
as
the
inhabitants
of
Sicily.
A
comprehensive
review
of
even
the
principal
types
of
wine
produced
in
Italy
cannot
adequately
be
contained
within
the
limits
of
a
brief
article.
But,
making
virtue
of
necessity,
and
starting
from
the
North
of
the
Peninsula,
we
find,
first,
Pied-
mont,
a
hilly
province,
in
climate
and
soil
well
adapted
to
wine
growing.
Table
wines
form
the
largest
and
most
important
part
of
its
production,
of
which
the
finest
brands
are
the
Gatti-
nara,
Ghemme,
Barolo,
Barbaresco,
Nebbiolo,
Barbera,
Grigno-
lino,
and
Freisa.
Ail
thèse
are
dry
wines,
which
possess
a
good
bouquet
and
tonic
qualities.
"Barolo,"
says
Professer
Mosso,
"is
a
beverage
which
pro-
duces
physiological
effects
even
before
you
take
it."
Its
color
is
garnet,
its
bouquet
ethereal,
its
flavor
full,
lasting
and
aro-
matic.
Although
it
matures
in
five
or
six
years,
some
prefer
it
ten
years
old.
It
is
generally
served
in
a
basket,
like
Burgundy,
to
show
its
âge
and
préserve
its
crust.
After
"having
washed
our
lips
with
this
illustrious
wine,"