How Vino Saves US
A popular Italian proverb goes: “L’Epifania tutte le feste porta via.” It means that Epiphany, Jan. 6, marks the end of the long holiday celebrations that begin in early December.
In other words, it’s a return to “normalcy” following 30 days of celebration. Practically, that means a period of moderation until the potentially raucous, excessive days of Carnevale, after which comes the traditional austerity of Christian Lent. (The word Carnevale derives from the Latin for “take away the meat.”)
Life in Italy, where Italian cuisine was recently inscribed in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, has ideas on moderation that can help us avoid fads like “Dry January,” power cleanses, and the latest government dietary and alcohol recommendations.
Read my take on it all and discover L’Arte di Bere (The Art of Drinking), a novel from the Mussolini era that has some surprising insights about wines and humanity, in the latest Robert Camuto Meets… at Wine Spectator
