Wine, the nectar of the gods. Civilisations have been drinking wine for millennia. The Chinese were the first to drink wine (7000 BCE) and it shifted westward through Iran/Mesopotamia, Georgia, Armenia, and Italy. The ancient Greeks drank it, the Romans devoured it, and both Judaism and Christianity incorporate it into rituals. Even Islamic culture, while not permitted to drink it, used wine for medicinal purposes. Many people are familiar with Old World wines – France, Italy, and so forth. There are other world wine regions, though, which is what we’re focusing on this week!
The history of wine
The world wine regions really do span the globe. The oldest winery uncovered thus far is in Armenia, dating to 4100 BCE. Wild grapes grow in the Levant, modern-day Iran and Turkey, and Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. While wine production predates writing, evidence has found traces of wine production in clay pottery across much of the ancient world. How people learned to harvest grapes, and later to cultivate their own, remains a mystery.
Wine production thrived during the Roman Empire. This is the time period in which the major wine regions in Europe were established. Wine cellars also date to this period, in a more rudimentary form. Barrels and glass also came into play, vying with the terracotta amphorae usually used to store wine.
During the Middle Ages, people drank wine at almost every meal. Wine production increased as various religious orders took control of vineyards. The first of the major world wine regions was in Europe. While a sort of appellation system had been in effect during the Roman Empire, the first modern one was created in Portugal in the 15th century.
Did you know? Dom Perignon was a Benedictine monk.
Modern wine development
The Spanish brought the first grapes to the New World, cultivating them in modern day Mexico. This was ostensibly to produce wine for the Catholic missionaries and the Holy Eucharist, although soon wine production in the Americas outstripped that in Spain. The Spanish king then halted production.
French, German, and Italian grapes came over with later settlers. Wine production in the US and South America grew through the 19th and 20th centuries. Most Europeans though, considered New World wine inferior to that of the Old World. It wasn’t until a 1976 blind taste test in Paris that people began to take California wine seriously. There is a great movie called Bottle Shock which tells the story of this Judgment of Paris. I highly recommend it (comedy/drama) if you’re interested in how California wine bested the French at their own game. The winery, for those interested, is Chateau Montelena, and the wine is still considered exceptional.
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There are four broad world wine regions I want to focus on this week. I selected these with the express purpose of highlighting the other luxury attractions in the area. They are Europe, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, and the Americas (North and South). In each post, I will break these down further. Check back each day at 10am eastern time 🙂
And, ps, this looks like a great book.
