Another Day in Purgatory
Wine is Life (According to Dante)
As part of his celebrated narrative poem, The Divine Comedy, Dante uses winemaking as an allegory for the miracle of new life.
Surprisingly, it doesn’t happen in “Paradise.”
The 14th-century masterpiece is regarded as a rigorously religious text, especially concerned with the afterlife and what happens to the soul when it becomes body-less.
Toward the end of Purgatorio (Purgatory) Dante (the narrator), Virgil, and their guide, Statius make their way from the sixth terrace of Purgatory (Gluttony) up the mountain toward the seventh terrace of Lust.
To be fair, one thing does lead to another.
Overindulgence, especially the alcoholic variety, historically tends to loosen the morals and the panties. So maybe this is the perfect spot to bring wine into the equation.
While en route, Dante observes the gluttons emaciated, starving and thirsty. He asks Virgil how these souls can possibly suffer extreme pain when they don’t have physical bodies.
Virgil shrugs off the question to Statius.
As Gary Cestaro, PhD professor of Italian and Dantean scholar explains, at this point, Statius launches into a lecture on embryology and tackles the question of where human life actually begins. It’s a lot to digest.
As Cestaro notes, the passage is notable for a number of reasons, especially considering its deeply theological context and how it relates to contemporary reproductive rights legislation.
Have that conversation at your own risk.
We’re here for the wine allegory.
According to Statius, after several months of development in the womb, a divine entity (the “first mover” ie, Aristotle’s concept of a being who set the universe in motion) breathes life and spirit into the fetus (“Nature’s art”).
*lo motor primo a lui si volge lieto
sovra tant' arte di natura, e spira
spirito novo, di vertù repleto,
the first Mover turns to it, rejoicing over the
greatness of Nature’s art, and breathes into it a
new spirit, replete with power,
Statius then says, in case this is all too abstract and confusing for you (“if you may wonder less at my words”), just think about how the heat of the sun becomes wine by infusing (penetrating) the liquid of the vine.
E perché meno ammiri la parola,
guarda il calor del sol che si fa vino,
giunto a l'omor che de la vite cola.”
And that you may wonder less at my words,
look how the heat of the sun becomes wine,
joined with the liquid that flows from the grape.
*Extracted from Dante’s Purgatorio Canto 25.67-78, Trans. Durling and Martinez.
As harvest season draws to a close and we prepare to taste the year’s new wines, keep in mind what a miracle wine is.
Unlike ordinary crops, which are packed, processed, and sent away, wine returns to us in spirit, literally and figuratively, emblematic of the life cycle itself.
Suggested Wine Pairing for Dante’s Divina Commedia
Dante’s text is heavily concerned with Florentine politics, so nothing makes more sense than a Chianti Classico Gran Selezione.
These wines are grown and produced exclusively in a delineated area between the Florence and Siena. 100% Sangiovese, they’re aged to silken perfection, bursting with red cherry, herbs, spices, and tobacco. A true representation of place.
Download my quick guide to Chianti Classico for future reference.
Alternatively, Amarone
Seeing as Dante was less than complimentary of said Florentine nobility, if you prefer a bigger, rounder fruitier wine to spicy, spiky Sangiovese, head north toward Verona for robust Amarone.
Dante’s son Pietro Alighieri followed his father into Veneto, where he later purchased a parcel of vineyards.
Serego Alighieri Estate (est. 1353) still exists. They produce classically styled Valpolicella wines made from their own clones of local grape varieties Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara.
Amarone is made from partially dried grapes and is known for its sumptuous texture (high sugar = high alcohol content) and rich tapestry of aromas that includes dried fruit, leather, spices, smoke, and jam.
Like what you’re reading? Subscribe for more.