In much the same way as the young man who quoted to repair the Colt automatically assumed that I'd reversed into the other car, I had always assumed that every day was a Wine Day for Italians.

But, despite their production and per capita consumption figures making the top five in the world list (according to my most recent edition of The Oxford Companion to Wine), apparently not. And this lack of consumer interest in wine - and lack of winery interest in consumers - was the catalyst for the establishment of World Wine Day in 1993 in Italy.

The driving force behind the initiative was the Movimento per Il Turismo del Vino (loosely, movement for wine tourism) which recognised the potential of wine tourism. Back then very few Italian wineries were accessible to tourists and only 100 vintners in Tuscany, for this was where the movement began, signed up for that year's 'open day'. A year later, over 500 vintners from 14 regions joined the project and attracted to some 150 000 visitors to their cellars on the day. Today you can visit many wineries in Italy, most without calling ahead.

The initiative has grown in strength and influence worldwide. Wine regions in the United States of America, Japan, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Slovenia, Croatia and South Africa now find a reason to draw attention to its wine routes and wine tourism initiative on the last Sunday of May each year. Not that I need to, find a reason to celebrate, that is. But, in honour of the founding nation, I'll find a bottle of something Italian in the cellar to enjoy this weekend.