Italy could give lessons in wine to six year olds

Italy has drafted a bill that would see children as young as six take lessons in wine at primary school, with one hour a week dedicated to “wine culture and history”.

Abruzzo, Italy

Italian Senator Dario Stefano submitted the draft bill on 24 March, noting that the country has “more vines that churches”, as reported by Quartz, and that unlike other traditional products such as olive oil, wine production was something that “all Italians identity with”.

“Italy is now the biggest wine producer in the world, it is our history, and we should be happy and proud to teach our children about it”, said Stefano.

Wine tasting will not be a part of the program, with its aim instead to encourage a healthy approach to wine and to teach children about its place within Italian culture.

If approved, it would follow a smaller initiative already in place in Brescia, Northern Italy, where school children are being taught about the role of wine in the country.

The bill has been supported by Attilio Scienza, a professor of wine culture at the University of Milan, who hopes the scheme will help prevent young people from abusing alcohol.

Italy is currently world’s biggest producer of wine, according to the OIV, who predict its production volumes to have increased by 10% in 2015 in its preliminary report of world wine production. The country is estimated to have produced 48.9 million hectolitres, up 10% on 2014, followed by France which produced 47.4 million hectolitres, a rise of just 1%.