Before swirling, sniffing or swigging a wine, one can anticipate some of its qualities by looking into the faces of the people who made it and seeing the land they inhabit.
Piemontesi are a serious, practical and wealthy lot. Physically large and hardy, they are not quick to smile or easy to befriend. Once a relationship is established, it is usually for life. Their vineyards are set in perfect rows and occupy the choicest real estate. Barolo, the king of wines and the wine of kings, is also big, strong, rich and austere. In its enduring perfection, nothing is spared. Nonetheless, it must age and then breathe for long periods before fully unfolding into an unforgettable experience.
The Sicilian grower is generous, warmhearted and sincere. His deep sensuality is as much a trademark as the semi tropical climate of his island. The elixir known as Marsala, like him, is also small in stature. While its heady bouquet never reaches the heights of a Barolo, it holds nothing back and opens itself fully, with sweetness and a hot, penetrating glow that goes down to your toes.
Tuscans, the shopkeepers of Italy, can sell anything to anyone. They smile a lot, and appear open and beautiful, just like their land. However, there is often a sense of something not quite willing to be revealed. Chianti is a purposeful, attractive and commercially successful wine, yet each glass holds a mystery. As many as seven different types of grapes are used to make a Chianti. Tuscan vintners will admit to four varieties. It takes an expert to tell what's really in the bottle.
From one hilltop to the next, the architecture, scenery, language, art history, customs, cuisine and yes faces too, all change. Over 425 varieties of grapes "the rest of the planet can barely come up with a few dozen or so" and more than two thousand different wines are all intertwined into the spellbinding mosaic of Italian culture.
These observations were gleaned while enjoying many glasses of wine, great food and lively banter with people just met, whose disposition was as sunny and clear as the skies they live beneath.
