This is a series of articles on enjoying wine for beginners. If you are new to wine or wish to join the millions of wine-lovers all over the world, here's the place to start!
Have you ever been to a function where the wine bottles are opened and everyone starts blabbering about the wine and you felt slightly lost? If you are not sure where to start learning about wine, well this series of articles may be of some assistance.
The good news is that wine is now enjoyed world-wide so every country and every region has its own traditions and customs. Wine enjoyment is also very much a personal thing. So don’t worry if your views of some bottles are totally different from your friends.
In this article we will go back to basics and touch a little bit on wine culture and its origins.
Wine has always featured in early civilisations. Archeologists have unearthed evidence to show that vines have been cultivated since biblical times. Ancient Egyptian tomb paintings provide detailed wine making records. The tomb of Egyptian King Tut even contained wine jars and labels stating the year, the winemaker and their ratings! In ancient Greece, grapes and olives featured prominently as their staple diet. Curiously enough, we found out that ancient Greeks tend to add seawater to their wine as they considered it most uncivilised to drink unwatered wine.
Wine was also well loved by the Romans who later spread this passion across their vast empire. Europeans began to love wine too and it wasn’t long before European explorers, traders and missionaries brought wine to the New World. The New World refers to countries outside of Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East. New World countries would include the South American countries, Australia, New Zealand, North America and South Africa.
One of the most interesting aspect of vine cultivation happened around the 19th century when European vines were grafted onto American vine varieties in Europe. This was done because the introduction of American vine varieties in Europe at the time brought with it a tiny insect which killed the European varieties. As the American varieties were resistant to this insect, grafting was one viable solution for the survival of the vines in Europe. Even today most of Europe's vineyards are of the grafted varieties.
Interesting Facts
One of the most interesting developments in wine making and distribution is the use of cork. Cork comes from the bark of cork oak trees which grows best in Mediterranean weather. Before cork was used, wads of cloth and glass stoppers were used, which were not ideal as cloth was permeable and glass was too heavy and expensive. Cork on the other hand is light, airtight and impermeable.
Take A Guess! Why is it that wine should not be stored standing up?
Other Related Links:
Enjoying Wine - Part 2
