IS WINE A CULTURAL HERITAGE IN ITALY? “ABSOLUTELY. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ITALIAN IDENTITIES IN THE WORLD”, THE MINISTER OF CULTURAL HERITAGE AND ACTIVITIES, DARIO FRANCESCHINI, REPLIED TO WINENEWS

Is wine truly a cultural heritage in Italy? “Absolutely”, replied the Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities, Dario Franceschini. “Caring about cultural heritage”, said Franceschini, “means caring for the tangible and intangible, art, culture, the beauty of archaeological sites and monuments, as well as the beauty in the products, and wine is one of the most important Italian identities in the world”.
According to the Minister, farmers are often not only guardians of the territories but also of monuments, buildings and valuable works of art, and are now officially requesting (through the Italian Farmers Confederation - Cia, ed.) recognition of this role.

“The farmers are right”, said the Minister, “and we are working together with the Italian Sommelier Association (the Minister attended, Saturday, in Rome, the presentation of the Italian Sommelier Association’s Bibenda 2016, led by Franco Ricci, Saturday, in Rome ed.), to valorize this Italy that produces intelligently, pursuing quality and excellence. And, that's what Italian wine has done; starting from a crisis, it has been able to recover. The entire country must succeed by following suit”.

Franceschini is favorable to an even closer relationship with private wine & food companies and institutions to adopt monuments and make them more accessible, as they are otherwise destined to be abandoned or are unproductive.

“I really wish that Italian museums, like the great museums in Europe already do”, said the Minister, "would offer quality restaurants of excellence. There is a very strong relationship between food and culture that needs to be enhanced, and which we are working on.”