Reviews

Wine Museum in Torgiano
«Simple Wine News» №8(37) October 2009

A curious paradox: wine is an ideal museum exhibit, though not the beverage itself, but its material and virtual paraphernalia.

Wine links with our society, science, culture, food and so on can be explored to no end. Wine phenomenon in museums becomes tangible; moreover, this evidence is authentic.

I recently discovered an amazing oasis in a small town of Torgiano in Umbria. This Museo del Vino must have the same significance for the wine world as Hermitage has for art. Its collection covers various historic periods and applications, boasting some rarities and masterpieces. The museum set is built on an impressive scale, with 3,000 exhibits, especially if taking into account that the project is private. The museum has been managed by the Lungarotti Fund, backed by the eponymous winemaking dynasty, since its foundation in 1974. Giorgio Lungarotti pioneered quality winemaking in Umbria, whilst his wife Maria Grazia is an art historian and archivist. Such marriage could yield but outstanding results.

The Torgiano collection has many important exhibits including a wine kylix by Attic master Phrinos whose works are on display at the British Museum in London, a majolica plate by Renaissance master Giorgio Andreoli from Gubbio and a modern decanter by Jean Cocteau who found time for industrial design between writing poems, making films and creating graphic works. Yet the greatest impression is left by common everyday objects which tell much more about real life than ingenious masterpieces.

Here are, for instance, a couple of clay jugs from the Etruscan days. This mysterious civilisation lived in Central Italy in the first millennium B.C. Images of children are found on both vessels. They were given as presents to three-year-olds on a spring holiday of Dionysus who was also worshiped as god of awakening nature and flowers. The Etruscans never forgot about Dionysus main aspect either. The spring festival was supported by a drinking competition to which every participant brought own wine jug.

A more unrestricted use of wine was practiced by ancient and medieval healers. Emperor Nero’s physician Andromachus created theriac, universal wine-based antidote. People believed in its healing properties for almost 2,000 years. The recipe included over 50 herbs, snake flesh, wine and other unconventional ingredients. It was prepared in a king’s presence in France, and in front of doges in Venice. The antidote lost its popularity only in the mid-19th century.

A more ancient winegrowing practice existed from the antiquity and lasted till modern days. “Vines best enjoy trees as they naturally move upwards”, wrote Roman agricultural expert Columella in the first century AD. Vines were often planted next to trees in Assyria, Ancient Greece and Rome. Thus vine shoots could clamber trees. This primitive training system was known as vita maritata, or married life. Vines were often brought together with strong, yet pliant maple trees. Being used to seeing straight rows of vines on trellises, we might be shocked to find out that cultivating vines on trees was a common practice in many parts of Italy till only 40-50 years ago. A good parable about the fragility of winemaking can be made of this story when a progress can, within a decade or so, make void a foundation laid thousands of years ago.

Still, some of historic objects and tools have survived almost unmodified till modern era. Wooden barrels and glass bottles are obvious examples. And how is genuine vintage port made? Grapes are foot trodden in stone tubs, to remind us of a lasting ancient Roman tradition.