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 Vineyard
Wines -
Through science and the efforts of archaeologists, we have learned
of the existence of fossil grape vines that date back 60 million
years. Whether these were planted and harvested or how they
may have been used is another matter altogether, something that
we will never really know. Wine history as we read about it
today begins with the first written record of the planting of
grape vines and producing wine from the harvest in the Old Testament
(Genesis 9:20) where reference is made to Noah's planting of
a vineyard and making wine from the grapes. This event dates
the activity back many hundred's of years before the birth of
Christ. Subsequently, there are numerous mentions of vineyards,
grapes and wine throughout all of the different versions of
the Bible.
Wine history
is not restricted to the Greeks and the Romans. Perhaps, one
of the oldest accounts of wine producing a happy and intoxicated
result when consumed is contained in an ancient Persian fable.
As the story goes, a Princess had fallen out with the King.
In an attempt to take her own life, she consummed spoiled grapes
from a storage vessel. Instead of dying, she experienced all
the effects that we know to be possible - loss of reality, giddiness
and eventually uncontrollable urge to sleep. Upon awakening,
she was no longer experiencing the earlier stress. She revisited
the storage vessel regularly thereafter and was so changed that
she again experienced the favor of the King. As the story continues,
the King then shared the Princess' story with his court and
ordered more production of the spoiled grapes. Fact or fiction,
we cannot be sure, but it certainly tells a great story about
how Wine is the Essence of Life.
Modern wine
history, the basis for Viticulture as we are familiar with it
today - sometimes mistakenly referred to as viniculture - owes
its origins to the Greeks and Romans. Around 1600BC as the Greek
civilization expanded into what we now refer to as Europe, so
did wine. Wine was a very important part of commerce for the
Greeks and is detailed extensively in Homer's famous writings,
Iliad and Odyssey. Additionally, the Greek physicians were the
first that we know of to prescribe wine for medicinal reasons.
Interesting how doctors and researchers lead us to believe that
the medicine value of wine was discovered in the last couple
of decades. The Greeks also learned hwo to use spices to mask
spoiled wine. Can you believe that such dishonest practices
date back so far - I wonder if they had a Better Business Bureau
then!?!?
Enjoy
learning about Wine History
The Romans
were much more into wine than the Greeks. In fact, the foundation
of the industry in Europe can best be attributed to them and
therefore also the real beginning of our modern wine history
story. The Romans influence from around 1000BC provided us with
a blueprint for the evolution of the entire industry. The Romans
classified grape varieties and colors. They documented growth
information such as ripening characteristics and soil likes
and dislikes. They identified diseases too. Over the years,
they also developed skills that would increase the yields of
the vineyard including pruning, irrigation and the use of manures
for fertilization. The Romans typically followed the Greek tradition
of storing wine in skins and large clay jugs (as referenced
in the Wedding Feast at Cana). However, as their conqest of
the region spread north to the Germanic tribes, they learned
the skill of wooden cooperage which they soon adapted for use
in storing and transporting wine. Wine barrels are still used
today for winery storage and bulk wine transportation. All of
this makes a lot of sense as there is no doubting that the Romans
were convinced that Wine is the Essence of Life.
Since the
rise and fall of the Roman Empire, our world has undergone numerous
changes, setbacks and advancements. During all of this time,
there is no disputing the consistency of the vitality of the
wine industry and viticulture. Fortunately, this wine history
has been well documented detailing its growth, advancements
and deployment to all corners of the globe. This has been no
more evident than in the past 50 years. In the first half of
the 20th century, when wine was referred to, one immediately
thought of France, Italy, Germany, in fact, Europe as a whole,
then would come a mention of the Napa Valley in the United States.
While there were other regions, they were not well known and
no one expected to find a great wine there anyway. In those
times, if you wanted a great wine, you went searching for something
from Europe and you paid the price. This is not the case anymore.
Today, our
wine history is documenting something very different, as we
are faced with the problem of over-production, a wine glut.
With the growth of the world's population and the penetration
of wine in society, especially fine wines, combined with scientific
research and major advancements in viticulture, entrepreneurs
recognized the potential for profit. Vineyards and subsequently
wine growing regions popped up all over the world. This was
not all bad as some of these regions have developed into produces
of exceptional wines. This is evidenced by the worldwide success
of the Australian wine industry especially in the later part
of the 20th century. But now we also have wines available worldwide
from Chile, New Zealand, Brazil, South Africa and many more
countries in addition to those of which we have already spoken.
The reality is that we now have too much wine being produced
and this is effecting both quality and price. Some countries
have acknowledged this and are trying to reverse the situation
but this is not an easy task. It
can be said that Wine is the Essence of Life in more
ways than one and our wine history will continue to document
how and why.
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Askos
The Askos was an ancient Greek pottery vessel which was used
to store and pour liquids. While most often used for oils, it
is also believed to have been used for the serving of wine.
The Askos may also be the forerunner of th teapot.
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