WINE IS CULTURE – Roma To Sonoma

Wine Is Culture

From ancient routes to living traditions, Wine Is Culture reveals the deeper story in every glass. In its pages, wine emerges not simply as a drink, but as a living expression of place, identity, and cultural memory.

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER

The cultural roots behind the world’s most iconic wines
How geography, tradition, and community shape every bottle
The stories that transform wine from product to experience
A richer, more meaningful way to enjoy what’s in your glass

A celebration of wine as more than a drink — its history, people, places and tradition. Co-authored by Layne Randolph and Emanuela Panke, President of the Council of Europe's Iter Vitis, the book explores the history of wine and its impact on civilizations and cultures.

Inside

The history of wine, and the cultures it shaped.

The Ancient Roots of Wine

From the Areni-1 cave in Armenia — the earliest complete winemaking setup ever found — to the terraces of Giglio Island, wine's story begins long before the modern label.

Vines and Civilizations

Why a vineyard still grows on Rome's Palatine Hill, and how vines followed emperors, monks, merchants and migrants across the Mediterranean.

People and Tradition

The growers keeping heroic viticulture alive, and the ancient grape varieties — Ansonica, Nero Buono, Dorona — staged for a comeback.

A Way of Life

Wine as table, ritual and identity: how a glass carries culture from Roma to Sonoma and back again.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Layne Randolph

Layne Randolph is a wine, travel, and culture journalist whose work explores wine as an expression of history, place, and identity. Based in Sonoma, California, she has written for Decanter, Wine Enthusiast, and Forbes.com, using narrative storytelling to illuminate the idea at the heart of her work: wine is culture.

Emanuela Panke

Emanuela Panke is President of Iter Vitis – Cultural Route of the Council of Europe, an international network that preserves and advances Europe’s and the Mediterranean’s viticultural heritage. For over two decades, she has worked at the intersection of cultural tourism, gastronomy, and heritage innovation.