Wine is a liquor of fermented grape pulp. It is made when single-celled yeast converts sugar in grapes into alcohol and
carbon dioxide, and releases heat in the process.
Wines can be made from the juice of other fruits, such as plum, cherry, pomegranate, currant and elderberry.
The grapevine originally came from the Caucasus region of Asia Minor and in time man leaned how to cultivate the wildly growing grapes. Grapes were originally considered to be just a tasty fruit but eventually it was discovered that once fermented, they produce a tasty and intoxicating beverage.
Sediment found in a pottery jar excavated in the Zagros Mountains of northern Iran indicate that man was drinking a retsina-like wine in 5000 BC.
The Egyptians adopted a wine culture and included wine in their funeral ceremonies. They made at least 24 varieties of wine. Its importance was indicated by the fact that while most gods were only worshipped locally, Sesmu - the god of wine - was worshipped throughout the country.
Wine-making reached Greece by about 2000 BC. By 17000 BC it had replaced mead - made by fermenting honey and water - as their tipple of choice.
The Phoenicians were seafaring traders who inhabited the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon and Syria between 1500 BC and 300 BC. They planted the first vines seen in Western Europe at Andalucia in Spain.
Like beer, wine was considered to be of divine origin. Indeed it was supposed to be the blood of gods and with the wine the god entered the human body. Thus, the drinking of wine was a sacred ritual, and drunkenness was regarded as the presence of the divine spirit.
The Greeks generally avoided drunkenness with the exception of the cult of Dionysus, the Greek God of grapes, in which intoxication was believed to bring people closer to their deity.
According to Plato, wine should be tasted in moderation until age 31, but when a man reached 40, he could drink as much as he wants to cure the "crabbedness of old age."
The Romans pressed grapes to make wine, which was sometimes sweetened with honey or flavored with roses or violets. It was drunk with most of their meals diluted with water, raisin wine being a particular favorite.
Roman soldiers on campaign drunk a particularly thirst quenching vinegar wine diluted with water. They were horrified that many of the Barbarians drunk their wine neat.
The Greeks and Romans used amphorae to store and transport wine. A label indicating the maker's name, the vineyard, the capacity of the jar and the year was either tied to the jar or engraved on it.
The Greeks kept their wine in a storeroom near the chimney shafts. The effects of the heat made the wine more concentrated until it acquired the consistency of honey. Thus it had to be diluted before serving.
The Greeks and Romans used pomace to create an inferior wine normally given to slaves and common workers. After the wine grapes had been pressed twice, the pomace was soaked in water for a day and pressed for a third time. It produced a thin, weak and thirst-quenching wine called piquette.
At certain times Roman women were forbidden to drink wine, and a husband who found his wife drinking was at liberty to kill her.
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| Pixiebay |
HISTORY
The grapevine originally came from the Caucasus region of Asia Minor and in time man leaned how to cultivate the wildly growing grapes. Grapes were originally considered to be just a tasty fruit but eventually it was discovered that once fermented, they produce a tasty and intoxicating beverage.
Sediment found in a pottery jar excavated in the Zagros Mountains of northern Iran indicate that man was drinking a retsina-like wine in 5000 BC.
The Egyptians adopted a wine culture and included wine in their funeral ceremonies. They made at least 24 varieties of wine. Its importance was indicated by the fact that while most gods were only worshipped locally, Sesmu - the god of wine - was worshipped throughout the country.
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| Grape cultivation, winemaking, and commerce in ancient Egypt c. 1500 BC |
Wine-making reached Greece by about 2000 BC. By 17000 BC it had replaced mead - made by fermenting honey and water - as their tipple of choice.
The Phoenicians were seafaring traders who inhabited the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon and Syria between 1500 BC and 300 BC. They planted the first vines seen in Western Europe at Andalucia in Spain.
Like beer, wine was considered to be of divine origin. Indeed it was supposed to be the blood of gods and with the wine the god entered the human body. Thus, the drinking of wine was a sacred ritual, and drunkenness was regarded as the presence of the divine spirit.
The Greeks generally avoided drunkenness with the exception of the cult of Dionysus, the Greek God of grapes, in which intoxication was believed to bring people closer to their deity.
 |
| Hellenistic mosaics close to the city of Paphos depicting Dionysos, god of wine. |
According to Plato, wine should be tasted in moderation until age 31, but when a man reached 40, he could drink as much as he wants to cure the "crabbedness of old age."
The Romans pressed grapes to make wine, which was sometimes sweetened with honey or flavored with roses or violets. It was drunk with most of their meals diluted with water, raisin wine being a particular favorite.
Roman soldiers on campaign drunk a particularly thirst quenching vinegar wine diluted with water. They were horrified that many of the Barbarians drunk their wine neat.
The Greeks and Romans used amphorae to store and transport wine. A label indicating the maker's name, the vineyard, the capacity of the jar and the year was either tied to the jar or engraved on it.
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| Greek amphora; 2nd half of the 2nd century BC; glass. By Marcus Cyron |
The Greeks kept their wine in a storeroom near the chimney shafts. The effects of the heat made the wine more concentrated until it acquired the consistency of honey. Thus it had to be diluted before serving.
The Greeks and Romans used pomace to create an inferior wine normally given to slaves and common workers. After the wine grapes had been pressed twice, the pomace was soaked in water for a day and pressed for a third time. It produced a thin, weak and thirst-quenching wine called piquette.
At certain times Roman women were forbidden to drink wine, and a husband who found his wife drinking was at liberty to kill her.
We basically drink the same wine as ancient Romans. Researchers found grape growers managed to keep modern grape DNA extremely consistent and similar to ancient varieties. While this kept flavors consistent, researchers worry grapes are genetically at-risk to environmental changes.
The early Christian church refused to forbid the drinking of wine except for where the believer wished to abstain for reasons of self-discipline. Rather than castigating wine for its effects on sobriety, many early church fathers considered it a gift from God, both for its medicinal qualities and the relief it could bring from pain and the anxiety of daily life.
Wine is mentioned in the Bible 165 times in most places favorably.
In Renaissance Italy, the people sealed their wine bottles by topping the wine with olive oil, which filled the neck of the bottle. When a fresh bottle was used for serving drinks, the host would, after pouring away the oil, fill his glass first before his guests in case there are any drops of oil left in the wine.
Another reason it became a habit for the Italian host to test the wine first was to show his friends that the wine had not been poisoned either by himself or some other foe.
A typical Italian male citizen, in 1500, drunk around two litres of wine a day.
Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of Cape Town, produced the first bottle of South African wine on February 2, 1659 seven years after his landing. In 1685, the man succeeding Van Riebeeck as governor of the Cape of Good Hope, Simon van der Stel, purchased a large 750 hectares (1,900 acres) estate just outside Cape Town, establishing the Constantia wine estate.
The early Christian church refused to forbid the drinking of wine except for where the believer wished to abstain for reasons of self-discipline. Rather than castigating wine for its effects on sobriety, many early church fathers considered it a gift from God, both for its medicinal qualities and the relief it could bring from pain and the anxiety of daily life.
Wine is mentioned in the Bible 165 times in most places favorably.
In Renaissance Italy, the people sealed their wine bottles by topping the wine with olive oil, which filled the neck of the bottle. When a fresh bottle was used for serving drinks, the host would, after pouring away the oil, fill his glass first before his guests in case there are any drops of oil left in the wine.
Another reason it became a habit for the Italian host to test the wine first was to show his friends that the wine had not been poisoned either by himself or some other foe.
A typical Italian male citizen, in 1500, drunk around two litres of wine a day.
Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of Cape Town, produced the first bottle of South African wine on February 2, 1659 seven years after his landing. In 1685, the man succeeding Van Riebeeck as governor of the Cape of Good Hope, Simon van der Stel, purchased a large 750 hectares (1,900 acres) estate just outside Cape Town, establishing the Constantia wine estate.
The South African wine industry grew over the centuries Today, the country's wine regions, such as Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Constantia, have gained international recognition for producing high-quality wines.
A tax on wine, in 1746, kept the size of wine glasses from that period small in England. Wine was drunk in dainty amounts, often as a toast, so the glasses were essentially a shot glass.
Australian soldiers fighting in World War 1 coined the word "plonk" meaning wine. They pronounced the French "vin blanc", (meaning white wine), "van blonk", and further transformed it into "plonk". Also the word resembles the sound of a cork being drawn out of a bottle.
In 1941 Parisian writers, who had evacuated to the Beaujolais region south of Burgundy in Eastern France, got to taste the local Beaujolais wine. The locals drunk it out of small containers in the bistros and the Parisian writers enthusiastically publicized it to the rest of the world.
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| A glass and bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau from the 2013 vintage By Agne27 |
American wine had a terrible reputation until an event in 1976, called the Judgment of Paris. Wine industry luminaries blind-tasted California and renowned French wines, side by side, and scored them. Surprisingly, the winning red and white wines were both from California.
In 1991, American television news magazine program 60 Minutes suggested red wine was the answer to the "French Paradox" (France enjoys a low incidence of heart disease despite a diet high in saturated fats). Within a year, American consumption of wine increased 40% and some wine sellers began promoting their products as "health food".
Pinot noir red wine became considerably more popular among consumers as a result of the 2004 movie Sideways. Throughout the film, the main character speaks fondly of Pinot Noir while denigrating Merlot. A study estimated that Sideways cost American Merlot farmers over US$400 million in lost revenue.
There is a fully intact Roman wine bottle, which was unearthed from a Roman tomb near Speyer, Germany. Dated between 325 and 350 AD, it's fully drinkable as the Romans added a significant amount of thick olive oil as a preservative. It is considered "the world's oldest existing bottle of wine".
A single vine of Žametovka, a red Slovenian wine grape variety, is believed to be the world's oldest grapevine still producing fruit. Growing in the Slovenian town of Maribor it is estimated to be over 400 years of age. It has survived Napoleonic wars, World War 1, and bombing by the Nazis in World War II. The vine still produces 35-55kg of grapes and 100 bottles (250 ML each) of wine are produced each year.
Bordeaux red wines must be made from a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot or Carmenère grapes.
FUN WINE FACTS
There is a fully intact Roman wine bottle, which was unearthed from a Roman tomb near Speyer, Germany. Dated between 325 and 350 AD, it's fully drinkable as the Romans added a significant amount of thick olive oil as a preservative. It is considered "the world's oldest existing bottle of wine".
A single vine of Žametovka, a red Slovenian wine grape variety, is believed to be the world's oldest grapevine still producing fruit. Growing in the Slovenian town of Maribor it is estimated to be over 400 years of age. It has survived Napoleonic wars, World War 1, and bombing by the Nazis in World War II. The vine still produces 35-55kg of grapes and 100 bottles (250 ML each) of wine are produced each year.
The Austrian wine industry collapsed in 1985 after it was discovered that several large wineries had been using diethylene glycol (DEG) to make their wines sweeter. DEG is a toxic substance that can cause serious health problems, including death.
Bordeaux red wines must be made from a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot or Carmenère grapes.
Prosecco makers must follow strict rules set by the Italian government. Among them: The wine must come from a geographic region that partly encircles Venice like a tiara, to the north, east and west, (1)
Pinot Noir red wine has the highest level of resveratrol, the cardio-protective antioxidant from grape skin.
Although white wine can be produced from both red and white grapes, red wine can only be made from red grapes.
White wine gets darker as it ages while red wine gets lighter.
The color of red wine comes from the pigment anthyocanin which is found in grape skins.
In 2014, the three largest producers of wine in the world were, in order, Italy, France and Spain.
A standard glass of wine contains as much calories as are in a piece of chocolate or four cookies.
China consumes more wine than any other country, overtaking France in 2013 by drinking 1.39bn litres.
In 2013, the Chinese drank 1.86 billion bottles of red wine, making China the leading market for red wine, with France dropping to second place. The Chinese preference for red is less a matter of taste than culture, though, with red considered ‘lucky' and white associated with death and funerals.
A German study found that wine tasted better if the drinker thinks it's more expensive. Subjects inside an MRI scanner tasted a $14 red wine three times, but were told each sip was from bottles costing $3, $7, & $21. The brain's motivation and reward center was more active for the "more expensive" wine.
Hatred or fear of wine is called “oenophobia”.
Sources New York Times (1), Daily Express
Pinot Noir red wine has the highest level of resveratrol, the cardio-protective antioxidant from grape skin.
Although white wine can be produced from both red and white grapes, red wine can only be made from red grapes.
White wine gets darker as it ages while red wine gets lighter.
The color of red wine comes from the pigment anthyocanin which is found in grape skins.
In 2014, the three largest producers of wine in the world were, in order, Italy, France and Spain.
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| Global wine markets 2009, statistics |
A standard glass of wine contains as much calories as are in a piece of chocolate or four cookies.
China consumes more wine than any other country, overtaking France in 2013 by drinking 1.39bn litres.
In 2013, the Chinese drank 1.86 billion bottles of red wine, making China the leading market for red wine, with France dropping to second place. The Chinese preference for red is less a matter of taste than culture, though, with red considered ‘lucky' and white associated with death and funerals.
A German study found that wine tasted better if the drinker thinks it's more expensive. Subjects inside an MRI scanner tasted a $14 red wine three times, but were told each sip was from bottles costing $3, $7, & $21. The brain's motivation and reward center was more active for the "more expensive" wine.
Hatred or fear of wine is called “oenophobia”.
Sources New York Times (1), Daily Express
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