Building the new landscape: Italian wineries from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century

This article examines the role of wineries in the evolution of the Italian wine landscape from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the new millennium. In the first section, we describe the birth of the ‘rational cellar’ in Italy, which had to be built in accordance with technology and science. Next, we examine the introduction of the concept of terroir and its connection to wine. In the third section, we focus on the development of wine cellars during the post-war years of the economic boom, when large volumes of low-quality wine were produced. The fourth section highlights the role of famous architects in the construction of today’s wine landscapes. The article shows how this slow evolution has created the conditions for Italian wine to enjoy a solid international reputation today, thanks also to the design of both cellars and vineyards.