Wine&Sport by Seila Bruschi/Wine Expert
Biking in Tuscany is the best way to discover, have fun, taste, learn, be amazed, fall in love!
The word “sport” is nothing other than an abbreviation of the English word disport which means “to enjoy yourself”.
The origin of the word dates back to the Latin deportare which means go outside, or in other words out of the walls of the city to spend time doing physical activity. During the 14th century in England, the use of the term “disport” spread throughout.
Two centuries it later would be abbreviated into “sport” and eventually assimilated into the Italian language in the 19th century. A sport is a combination of activities, both physical and mental, that are done with the scope of improving and maintaining the entire human psycho-physical apparatus in a state of good health, and of entertaining the person practicing it and the people watching it.
Sports have been an integral part of society and culture since the beginning of human life. From Kung-Fu in China to the swimming and gymnastics of ancient Egypt all the way to the famous Olympic Games in Greece and the Roman Games with their trenches for the gladiator fights. Sports were a recreational moment in social life and were always tied to religion. In fact, sports, like religion, contribute to celebrating and reproducing the moral orientation of particular groups or entire societies.
This is also thanks to their ability to move both strong individual and collective emotions by passionately stimulating participation and a sense of belonging.
Wine, is a celebratory and uniting social element, even in religious and recreational moments, ties itself inevitably to the world of sports even if alcohol’s psychotropic function and caloric quality seem to be an enemy. It is said that Milo of Croton, the legendary champion of ancient Greece, devoted himself to abundant libations including 10 kg of bread and meat and 10 liters of wine. Of course, it is essential for any athlete to moderate their daily wine consumption. Wine containing 12% alcohol has about 85 calories per 125 ml (4.2oz), therefore it has a significant influence on the caloric needs of an athlete. For athletes or even simple sports enthusiasts, maintaining one’s ideal weight is closely connected to the type of sport they participate in.
Do you want to know more about your biking in Tuscany and tasting our superb wines? Are you curious to learn, within this scheme, what role does wine have? So stay tuned and follow our next article, our amazing Wine Expert Seila will be glad to tell you more!
…. to be continued!