Foreword
What does it mean for a wine to offer a true taste of place?
In Italian wine today, I believe it is no longer enough to think of territory as a romantic idea, frozen in time. A wine should express where it comes from while also reflecting the intelligence, choices and sensitivity of the people who make it.
Italy is often described through its extraordinary diversity. We have hundreds of native grape varieties, countless denominations, and an exceptional range of climates, soils, altitudes and cultural traditions. But diversity alone is not enough. The challenge is to transform that complexity into meaning—to help someone understand why a wine could only come from that particular intersection of landscape, grape, history and human interpretation.
In Italy, regional identity is deeply connected to food, language, architecture, agriculture, family, memory and local habits. A Verdicchio from Matelica, an Etna Bianco, a Barolo, a Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, a Vernaccia di San Gimignano or a Fiano from Irpinia does more than represent a different style of wine. Each expresses a different way of understanding place, time and gastronomic culture.
Yet tradition cannot become a cage. The most interesting Italian producers today understand which elements of tradition are essential and which need to evolve. Climate change, changing consumer expectations, precision viticulture and improved cellar practices all require adaptation. Authenticity today is not nostalgia; it is continuity with awareness.
For an international audience, Italy also needs to communicate this richness with greater clarity. We cannot expect consumers to navigate such complexity without guidance. We need to explain what makes a grape relevant, what a territory gives to a wine, why a particular style matters today, and how it belongs within contemporary drinking culture.
That is why the idea behind this edition of Live in Italy Magazine resonates with me. A true taste of place is not simply about origin. It is about making identity legible—allowing a wine to carry its landscape, its culture and the people behind it, while still speaking clearly to the world.
Cristina Mercuri MW Master of Wine
Founder & CEO, Mercuri Wine Club
