Italy is universally recognized for the quality of its food and wine. In fact, when it comes to food, wine, and place the Made in Italy brand is probably the strongest in the world (although the French might want to take issue with this statement...). That status is made all the more remarkable when you consider that every region (and almost every town) in Italy prides itself on its own unique specialties. One such region is Castelli Romani, a听scattering of wine-producing towns set in the volcanic landscape of the Colli Albani around 20 km southeast of Rome.听The Castelli Romani (literally, Roman Castles) are made up of more than a dozen small towns and villages in the region, nestled around the听Alban hills, and Lakes听Albano听and听Nemi, each rich in nature, history, and tradition.听
On October 8th, an eager听group of Travel and Tourism Marketing students was given the unique opportunity to visit one of the most important vineyards in the region, Cantina Imperatori, to gain first-hand experience of both viniculture and the importance (and power) that food & beverage branding can give to a place.
The vineyards of Cantina Imperatori can trace their lineage back to Roman times and, as the students were guided through the vines, their guide, Nina Farrell, was able to demonstrate how long-standing knowledge and tradition helped produce the very best from the crops. Pointing out the white rocks that neatly lined the stems of the vines, Nina described how these were not for aesthetics but had three practical values; the rocks deter weeds, they reflect the sun upwards and so help the grapes ripen from the bottom as well as the top, and they absorb heat during the day and slowly release that heat during the night, giving the vines, as Nina described it "a little extra听hug".听
Once through the fields, the students were introduced to the process of winemaking; a recent grape harvest, after being crushed, destemmed, and cooled听was fermenting in large, temperature-controlled metal vats ready to later move into the large oaken barrels (which add to the wine's natural flavors) before being stored and aged in the farm's original Roman-era cellar (a cave carved directly into the hillside). Finally, to everyone's delight, Nina hosted a wine tasting while she described the quality controls and regulatory requirements for wine distribution and the associated brand resonance that these give to their product.
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