THE STORY OF WINE SINCE 3500 B.C.
By Gene Fontana
St. Helena Star, CA
Jan 10 2008
The origins of wine are clouded in prehistory.
The grape from which wine is best made, Vitis vinifera, originated in
what is today the disputed land between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the
wild grape there having the additional name of silvestris. The wine,
made from that grape, was probably insipid, especially as compared
with today’s wines.
More solid evidence was discovered at an archeological dig, called
Godin Tepe in what is now modern Iran. Archeologists discovered a
3500 B.C. ceramic vessel that held reddish crystals. These resembled
the tartrate crystals which are found today on the bottom of many
corks of wine bottles. They came from the wild grape sylvestris,
which still grows there today and which ferments overnight.
One theory about wine making is that a Neolithic man made grape juice
from wild grapes, forgot it or left it alone for awhile, then tasted
it: "Praise the gods; I am tasting heaven!"
Another theory is that it was a development of previous knowledge.
Archeology has evidence that mead or honey wine and beer existed
prior to wine, made from grapes. And the people of the time applied
their knowledge of fermentation to grape juice.
In time, the knowledge of wine making and domestication of the wild
grape spread around the Caspian Sea, Black Sea, and Mediterranean
Sea, and eventually all over the world. Egyptian hieroglyphic depicts
feasts with wine. Homer refers frequently to wine in his Iliad and
Odyssey. The roots for the word enology, the study of wine, come from
the Greek, oinos meaning wine, and logos meaning study.
The Romans spread the culture of wine and viticulture all over
their known world – from their word for wine, vinum we get the many
words like vine and vineyard. The Bible, both Old and New Testament,
discusses wine. Many religions, both ancient and modern, have adopted
wine as part of their rituals.
Pottery of many ancient cultures depicts aspects of wine. In time many
lands cultivated their own grapes by cross pollination, grafting and
individual agricultural methods.
Today, most of the people in varying lands throughout the world
drink wine and have vineyards, and produce their wines from their
own unique varietals.
The early American colonists did not have much interest in wine. An
exception was Thomas Jefferson, who tried to grow European grapes
at Monticello.
Prohibition was an indication of the way the American citizen viewed
wine. However, after the repeal of Prohibition, the citizenry of
the United States began to take an interest in wine, slowly but
increasingly. That was the era of jug wines when wines of the same
color were mixed together with no indication of the varietal and
given the name of a district in Europe. Today the name of Burgundy
or Chablis or Champagne and similar district names can be used only
by those districts in Europe with a few exceptions.
In the late ’30s and early ’40s, varietals began to be the vogue.
Wineries began to be interested in the grape as a varietal. Also,
the maxim was white for fish and poultry, and red for red meat.
Today, the majority of the populace has reached a new sophistication.
Wineries and vineyards exist in all 50 states. Wineries produce both
varietals and special blends of wines, which people enjoy. Wine is
recognized as a food, and like all foods, the individual matches
all the foods so that they blend into a pleasing taste. And even
that rule can be set aside for the person who prefers one wine for
all his or her meals. Wine like all else in life follows the Latin
saying: "De gustibus non disputandum est." Freely translated, it is,
"One does not argue about taste."
The following quote brings the story of wine up to date: "Today
Americans are enjoying wine as a part of everyday life – it’s woven
into the fabric of our culture," said Terry Hall, communications
director, Napa Valley Vintners, St. Helena.
(Gene Fontana is a resident of Vineyard Valley in St. Helena.)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress