Wine conjures up the image of cultured drinkers sipping their way delicately through a full-bodied vintage. But for two history buffs with a passion for the tipple, northern Italy, home of the Barolo and Barbaresco, has the barbarians to thank for its long wine -making tradition, reports Reuters.

Luca Sormani, from Como , and Fulvio Pescarolo, from the tiny town of Robbio , near Milan , have traced the region's wine culture all the way back to its Celtic roots and have started making it according to ancient methods. Celtic tribes from farther north - known to the Romans as "Barbari" - conquered northern parts of Italy about 2,500 years ago, settled there and started draining marshes, cultivating land and growing vines.

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