After the harvest, the magic of foliage in vineyards: wine is tasted also through eyes

One of the most beautiful moments that Italy’s wine world is about to offer us with the arrival of autumn, told by an exceptional writer who invites us to prepare our gaze and enjoy it with our soul, everyone, of all ages, backgrounds, and professions, whether in wine or not: we are pleased to receive and share this story about vine foliage, written by professor Gianni Moriani, historian of Italian cuisine and agricultural landscapes, with whom we often discuss the value and beauty of Italy’s food and wine territories. This natural phenomenon (which WineNews has illustrated through a visual story) which is becoming one of the main reasons for traveling for food and wine tourism, in what the professor calls a “second season of hospitality”, as the professor defines it, stretching from the end of the harvest to the threshold of winter, a period that more and more regions and wineries are looking to in order to extend the wine tourism season. With an added value which, as you read, becomes as evident as the light enhancing the foliage.
“With the harvest now completed and the barrels beginning to shape the story of the vintage, another spectacle begins in Italian vineyards: autumn foliage, when vine leaves turn golden yellow, bright red, and purple. It’s a fleeting yet powerful phenomenon that draws an increasing number of visitors each year to wine regions, from Tuscany to the Langhe, from South Tyrol to Chianti, from Irpinia to Sicily.
Vineyard foliage is increasingly seen as a true landscape heritage, capable of offering visual emotions that perfectly link to the sensory experience of wine tasting. For many wineries, September and October become a second season of hospitality: after the excitement of the harvest, doors open to visitors for walks among the rows, vineyard lunches, guided cellar tours, and tastings paired with breathtaking views: wine tourists enter the cellar for the wine and leave with the enchanting memory of the colors in their eyes.
Many wineries have created special offers for the foliage season, with packages which combine tastings, culinary experiences, overnight stays, and outdoor activities. It is not uncommon to find events dedicated to this natural event, where wine becomes part of a journey involving landscape, relaxation, photography, and well-being.
All of this comes with an important added value: experiencing wine in its original context. Not in a bottle on a shelf, but in the heart of the landscape that generated it, among colorful rows and autumn air.
In an era when more and more people look for authentic experiences and contact with nature, vineyard foliage is proving to be a valuable resource for rural tourism and cultural promotion of the territory. And, as the leaves fall and the vines prepare for winter rest, visitors learn to see wine with new eye, made up also of colors”.