The vine has an extensive history in Southern Italy. Oenotria, the land of vines, is what the Greeks lovingly dubbed the latter-day ‘Mezzogiorno,’ the southern part of the Italian boot as well as Sicily. Southern Italy was effectively a Greek colony in the times before Christ, so much so, the South was dubbed ‘Magna Graecia,’ literally ‘Greater Greece.’ When the Greeks colonised Southern Italy they brought with them one of the signs of civilization: the vine.

Technically, the Phoenicians were the first to bring the vine to Southern Italy, although it was the Greeks who brought both viticulture and viniculture, basically a wine-making culture. From that point on wine has been grown in Southern Italy, and its wines were loved by Roman leaders throughout the Roman Empire, even Julius Caesar himself sung praises of these wines. Southern Italian wine was a well respected wine well before Barolo or Chianti had been created.

Nonetheless throughout the centuries, wine in the South became less admired and more notorious as it became the number one source of Italian box wine. Wines from Apulia, Calabria, Campania, Sicily, and Sardinia, were utilized to bolster feeble vintages from Northern and Central Italy. They were even utilized in several Southern French wines for the very same reasons as their Northern Italian counterparts. What a fall from grace!

At the time, Southern Italian wine receives the notice and approval of the market, in particular in the States, where Italian wine is witnessing rare recognition, at least in contrast to French wine. The renaissance of the Mezzogiorno’s wines is due to several factors all stemming from the modernizing of the South’s manufacturing industry. Grape production has been restructured starting with huge investments made in the vineyard, thereby making lower-yielding crops the norm rather than the exception, which is rather a step away from box wine manufacturing.

In wine production, engineering has improved from the middle ages to the modern age in a brief period of time. Refrigeration technology has allowed producers to provide quality white wine, in addition to red. The arrival of wine consultants and major Italian Groups, for example Gruppo Italiano Vini, Zonin, Antinori, Avignonesi, and Mezza Corona, have given to the modernising of both viniculture and viticulture in Southern Italy. Despite these changes, or rather due to them, Southern Italy faces a wine identity crisis as producers judge whether to modernize or remain true to the region’s roots.

Nic Haegeli still considers himself pretty new to the wine business, but he currently has a few years of experience as a wine manager at Colonial Spirits, an Acton liquor store. With a BA in History and a Master of Public Policy in International Relations, Nic never envisioned himself working with wine. However, he did grow up in Alsace, France… Hence it makes sense when you know where he comes from.

Colonial Spirits of Acton would like to invite you to come by our liquor store for one of our many wine tastings. If you are unable to stop by the physical store, then please consider our online wine store. Colonial Spirits Delivers throughout Eastern Massachusetts!

Putting together a strong background of wines and keeping down the cost of paying for said wine can be an intriguing challenge. Wine culture is long thought of as something for the rich. Truth be told, you don’t need to be a millionaire to learn how to buy wine, and to buy wine that is going to teach you as well as keep your wallet out of harms way. It’s quite simple with some basic learning, really.

First thought, where do you know of that people go to get wine most often? If you guessed the grocery store, you’re right. Depending on a wine store can be a pain if you’re looking to not empty your wallet on something unique. Besides, being in the grocery stores helps you to arrange your meal all the faster.

Let’s take a break from the argument of how to save money buying wine and examine the way food is meant to operate around different bottles.

First thing to note about dining on a budget and still maintaing quality is that there are essentially two main types of wines based off of two main grapes: red and white.

White wines are lower in alcohol content and often smoother in taste. They can come in a wide variety from chenin blanc, to pinot grigio, to chardonnay, to zinfandel. Each of these wines comes with a distinct taste to accompany certain dishes.

In the case of zinfandels, with a specific note to New Zealand produced zinfandels, we find what is a wine packed with spices. Due to this ambrosia of taste, a good course of action is a light, well-seasoned fish, such as tilapia or white fish, rather than swordfish or sea bass.

A red wine will typically yield much higher alcohol levels and display what is thought of to be a much dryer taste, if not bitter seeming. Red wines also have their mixes from merlots to malbecs to ports. Wines of this nature are largely considered better served around dishes run by meat.

For example, ports are satisfying when served alongside red meat. Now this doesn’t exactly mean burgers, which are weighed down with fixings, but more so your good cuts of steak. It’s the heaviness of the port body that complements the rather bloodiness of the meat.

At last we discuss the ethics of price. Most will try to satisfy the thought that a good wine is based on a high price tag, but it’s just not so. Even wines from convenient stores with their fixed selections can be the right incentive depending on what you’re looking to serve them with. Additionally, who knows wine better than the French? And in France, they drink wine so often that they rely on the goodness of those cheaper bottles that still offer a wonderful accompaniment of flavor and the heart-helping antioxidants. Four dollars can sometimes be the same as forty.

Should you still be skeptical of what cheap wine has to offer, just go and find out for yourself. But remember, when you buy wine, buy wine for your food, not your friends.

Tiffany is a wine afficionado who prefers to purchase wine online. You may also be interested in reading more information about dessert wine.