inemaking in Italy advanced rapidly through the 19th century, as methods of vinification and aging were improved and the use of corks to seal reinforced bottles and flasks permitted orderly shipping of wine worldwide. Such names as Chianti, Barolo and Marsala became known in Europe and beyond.
A century ago several Italian wines were already recognized as among the finest of their type: mainly Piedmontese and Tuscan reds from the Nebbiolo and Sangiovese vine varieties, but also white wines, still and sparkling, dry or sweet, merited international respect.
Growers had complemented their local varieties with foreign vines such as Cabernet, Merlot and the Pinots. There was evidence, then as now, that Italy's multifarious climates and terrains favored vines of many different types and styles, and consumers elsewhere, in Europe as well as in North America, had come to appreciate these new examples of class.
Then came phylloxera and other scourges to devastate Europe vineyards around the turn of the century. Italian growers, who had been working with thousands of local vine varieties, were forced to reduce the numbers. Many opted for newly developed, more productive clones of both native and foreign vines. Taking advantage of the long, sunny growing season, they forced yields upward, reasoning that there was usually more profit to be made from quantity than quality.
