Thoughts on Wine and Alcohol Use

Wine is everywhere in this country. We have wine at almost all of our meals and it's just a way of life around here. This in itself isn't a bad thing, but for foreigners, it does take some getting used to. Coming from the States where we place such a taboo on drinking, it seems weird to see almost everyone getting alcohol in some form at every meal. Our laws regarding alcohol consumption have affected the way we treat it culturally and America is very unique in this aspect. In Europe, alcohol has much less of a negative connotation.

In America, there is a big market for wine critics to share their knowledge and opinions with the public. Whats funny is that a lot of the time, these reviews or critiques of wine are simply ridiculous in the language the critic uses. After reading some articles on the language that critics use, our favorite descriptions of wine involve terms like “inky”, “fig-paste”, “bicycle tires”, and “graphite”. Our discussion about the article centered around the idea that these critics really just use these unusual vocabularies to create a sense of “us and them”. They want to create a system where only they can taste these unusual tastes and because of this, they are therefore experts. In America, these “experts” are listened to and can be found in newspapers, on the internet, and in magazines everywhere. In Italy however, there are very few of these “experts” and according to our guide, Alessio, very few people really listen to them. Here in Italy where there is wine everywhere, there's simply no purpose for these “experts”. Everyone becomes an expert over time because they try so many different types of wine during their meals. The creation of these American “experts” is an externality of the U.S. decision (whether subconscious or not) to put a taboo on drinking wine at every dinner. Sure, we have wine from time to time on special occasions but it's nothing like Italy where the best of wines are cheap and easily available even at your panini shop on the corner.

Italy has hundreds of interesting places and landmarks, no doubt. But one of the most interesting things to study while here has been the culture surrounding alcohol use and how it differs from America. I always grew up assuming our alcohol laws are good, or at least that they are good enough. After seeing how alcohol is viewed in Italy, I'm no longer so sure. I think America should seriously consider changing it's alcohol laws and over time, I believe we would see huge economical benefits and very potentially a safer society (if driving laws are shifted as well to more properly replicate the legal driving age in European countries). Our dedication to the idea that children should be taught to drive before they are taught about proper alcohol use is terrifying after seeing a successful system that is entirely different from our own.