Ep. 2458 Wine and Myths | The Art of Wine Storytelling with Ryan Robinson

Shenza also points to the Noah story, the idea that wine was the first act of civilization after the flood. In a way, this mirrors how wine keeps rebounding after crisis. Think about the flocks are of the nineteenth century, climate challenges, or even today challenges of tariffs around the world. Each time we respond with innovation and rediscovery. Welcome to a special series on the Italian wine podcast. In this series Italian wine Ambassador, Ryan Robinson, reads and reflects on the art of wine storytelling, the latest book by renowned scholar, Professor Atilio Shenza. From the myths of ancient Greece to the language of modern wine communication, the book explores how storytelling shapes our understanding of one, and why these stories matter more now than ever. Let's begin the journey. Welcome to the art of wine storytelling, the podcast where we explore the deep roots and evolving narratives of wine through the words of Professor Atilio Shenza. I'm your host, Ryan Robinson. Over the next fifteen episodes, we'll trace the cultural, historical, and symbolic evolution of wine, not just how it's made, but how it's remembered, mythologized, and how it's sold. Professor Shenza is one of Italy's leading wine academics and storytellers. His book connects ancient myth with modern wine branding, showing us how storytelling has always shaped our understanding of the vine and the bottle. Today, we'll begin where all great stories begin in the Mediterranean among the gods, among the myths, and within the symbolic cradles of Viticulture. This isn't just history. It's the foundation of how we communicate wine today. Through origin, place, emotion, and meaning. Throughout the context of this podcast, we will be reading Professor, Shanza's book, The Art of Wine storytelling. Each episode, I'll read up to three chapters, and then provide a commentary at the end. So you can stay on top of the book, as well as see those connections between the book and our modern wine industry today. Beginning with the book, we'll open with the foreword that was written by Stevie Kim. It's no accident that this book is being published to coincide with Professor Atelio Shenza's eightieth birthday, a little tribute, perhaps a blatant excuse for another round of celebrations, most definitely, not that Shannon needs an excuse. He has more energy, dynamism, and intellectual firepower than people half his age, which is frankly quite unfair. I can personally attest to how physically and mentally exhausting the wine world can be. Yet while many in his position might be enjoying a well earned retirement sipping a fine vintage in some Sunapple vineyard, Shenza remains one of the hardest working most in demand voices in Italian wine. The man is like a walking, talking, lecturing, and occasionally ranting encyclopedia. If cyclopaedias had a penchant for Aristolian, digressions, and homework analogies. And while he may not have a social media account, let's be clear. He never snubs it. In fact, I've personally volunteered him on more than once to participate in a TikTok Transance. No problem whatsoever. This is a man who will fearlessly take on biodiversity, sedimentology, and, yes, even the occasional viral challenge, reflecting his openness to everything, even when it's completely foreign to him. It's the same openness that keeps him not only relevant, but constantly evolving in an industry where tradition often resists change. So think of this book as a reciprocal birthday gift. His gift to us and our gift to him. Although, let's be honest, it's mostly his gift to us. Of course, Shenza's real gift isn't just his relentless work ethic, which is exhausting just to witness, but his storytelling. As listeners of everybody needs a bit of Sheanza, an Italian wine podcast series dedicated to ill professor I know, He can wax lyrical on subjects ranging from biodiversity and climate change to mythology, tectonics, and sedimentology, who casually drop insights that could take months to unravel. Delivered in a way that suggests he's merely scratching the surface. And while it may seem like he's speaking off the cuff, don't be fooled. Every answer, every lecture, every unexpected tangent, and there are many is rooted in a lifetime of study and an insatiable curiosity. I don't pretend I always follow everything he says. Who does? But I can say that his enthusiasm is nothing short of contagious. And let's talk about that career choice. Shenza could have been a leading scientist in any number of fields, but in his infinite wisdom, he chose wine. And lucky for us, he did. His impact has been so profound that I often joke that if he spoke English, he'd be more famous than Janis Robinson. But alas, he doesn't, which is precisely why we're publishing this book in a bilingual format, to give his ideas the wider audience they deserve. If you've ever seen him at Venidley, swarmed by admirers and juggling more events than seems human possible with an itinerary that makes my looks leisurely, and that's saying something. You'll understand just how revered he is. For those fluent in Italian, you get Shanza in his raw unfiltered form, about as close to the horse's mouth as we dare to publish. But let's be honest. Shanza doesn't just speak or write in Italian. He speaks in rights in Shanza language. Yes. Technically, it's Italian, but it's Chienza's Italian. So much so that when we translate his books, it's often a two step process. First, we translate from Chienza to Italian, then from Italian to English. Even his PowerPoint slides require a bit of deciphering before they can be shared with a broader audience. Thankfully, we have what we affectionately call Chienza whispers on our team. People specially trained in untangling his uniquely complex phrasing. And for this book, Richard lent a hand in that delicate process because that's what makes Shenza's writing so well, Shenza. It's colorful. It's unpredictable. It's occasionally maddening. It poses more questions than it answers. It scratches intellectual itches. You didn't even know you had. It meanders. It provokes. And just when you think you're following along nicely, It takes an unexpected left turn into ancient philosophy or nineteenth century Viticultural crises, which is precisely why it's so compelling. Perhaps it's time to brush up on your homework epics, or visit your high school biology notes, But more importantly, it's time to rethink how we tell the story of wine beyond the usual tired cliches. The working title for this book was roots and Reason, the evolution of wine storytelling. It was a title we were rather pleased with, a nod to both the deep historical roots of wine, and the reasoning that helps us navigate its future. It also followed neatly from our last chance of publication, Vine and Prejudice, fake science, and the search for the perfect grape. But in the end, we went with the art of wine storytelling. A title that, while perhaps less literary, has the advantage of being immediately clear to an Italian audience. It does, however, lack the rhetorical flourish of the Jane Austin inspired alternative. Although, to be fair, while Austin may not have read Aristotle, Aristotle, concepts are all over her riding, just as they are in Chienza's work. From prehistoric cave paintings to the mythical voyages of Ulysses. Wine has always been a central character in the human story. Shenza takes those ancient storytelling techniques, the heroes of Homer, the rhetoric of Aristotle, and applies them to more recent wine history, from the battle against Phylloxera to the rise of the super tuscans. But more importantly, he shows us how these same techniques can be used by wineries today to tell their own stories in a way that resonates with modern consumers. And that is why we are once again delighted to share the insights, expertise, and boundless enthusiasm of this one of a kind storyteller. Happy birthday, professor, Shanza, may you continue to inspire, provo