Wine: A Global History

133 Pages·2013·3.08 MB·English

by  Marc Millon

WINE
Edible
Series Editor: Andrew F. Smith
EDIBLE is a revolutionary new series of books dedicated to food and
drink that explores the rich history of cuisine. Each book reveals the
global history and culture of one type of food or beverage.
Already published
Apple Erika Janik Beef Lorna Piatti-Farnell Bread William Rubel Cake Nicola Humble Caviar Nichola
Fletcher Champagne Becky Sue Epstein Cheese Andrew Dalby
Chocolate Sarah Moss and Alexander Badenoch Cocktails Joseph M. Carlin Curry Colleen Taylor Sen
Dates Nawal Nasrallah Gin Lesley Jacobs Solmonson Hamburger Andrew F. Smith Herbs Gary Allen Hot
Dog Bruce Kraig Ice Cream Laura B. Weiss Lemon Toby Sonneman Lobster Elisabeth Townsend Milk
Hannah Velten Offal Nina Edwards Olive Fabrizia Lanza Oranges Clarissa Hyman Pancake Ken Albala
Pie Janet Clarkson Pizza Carol Helstosky Pork Katharine M. Rogers Potato Andrew F. Smith Rum Richard
Foss Sandwich Bee Wilson Soup Janet Clarkson Spices Fred Czarra Tea Helen Saberi Whiskey Kevin R.
Kosar Wine Marc Millon
Wine
A Global History
Marc Millon
REAKTION BOOKS
For Kim, my companion in wine and in life Published by Reaktion Books Ltd
33 Great Sutton Street
London EC1V 0DX, UK
www.reaktionbooks.co.uk
First published 2013
Copyright © Marc Millon 2013
The moral rights of the author have been asserted All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of
the publishers.
Page references in the Photo Acknowledgements and
Index match the printed edition of this book.
Printed and bound in China by C&C Offset Printing Co., Ltd British Library Cataloguing in Publication
Data Millon, Marc.
Wine: a global history. – (Edible)
1. Wine and wine making – History.
I. Title II. Series
641.2′2′09-DC23
eISBN: 9781780231464
Contents
Introduction
1 The Wine Grape
2 Across Wine-dark Seas: A Brief Overview of the Spread of Viticulture
3 The Great Vineyards of Europe
4 A World of Wine
5 From Grape to Glass
6 Final Thoughts
Recipes
Select Bibliography
Websites and Associations
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index

Introduction
Wine is the most wondrous, complex, mysterious and magical of all man’s
agricultural creations. At the same time, it is one of the simplest and most
natural.
At its most basic, wine is simply the fermented juice of fresh grapes. Vitis
vinifera wine grapes contain a high concentration of fructose. Once crushed,
natural yeasts present on the skin of the grapes feed on this sugar, converting it
to alcohol and giving off carbon dioxide as a by-product. The result is a
fermented beverage that may or may not be potable. If left exposed to air, it will
quickly spoil and turn to undrinkable vinegar. But nurture it carefully and it can
be conserved for months, years, decades – even centuries.
The origins of wine go back to the origins of modern humankind. As early
man emerged from a nomadic hunter-gatherer way of life and began to embark
on one of settled domestication, it would seem that the practice of gathering
grapes for the making of a fermented beverage, wine, developed – perhaps as
early as 8,000 years ago. From its earliest origins, most probably in the
Transcaucasus, the grape vine quickly spread across Asia Minor and the
Mediterranean, and wine became something of a symbol of civilization itself.
Indeed, almost from the earliest days of its discovery and creation, wine was
considered something special, almost divine. No doubt the considerable effort
necessary to produce wine meant that it was perforce the most highly valued and
precious of agricultural products. Consider what went into – what still goes into
– the creation of wine: the careful nurturing and cultivation of the plant for a
period of years before it is able to bear fruit; the annual cycle of work in the
vineyard leading to a single, once-a-year harvest; the careful collection of the
grapes and their transport to a winemaking facility; the pressing of the grapes
and the alcoholic fermentation to transform juice into wine; and the storage of
the finished wine itself in a way that ensures it does not spoil. Add to this the
fact that wine has the ability to induce altered states of consciousness and it is
not hard to see why from its earliest origins it was so highly prized, becoming
imbued with connotations of the divine and miraculous.
Indeed, from those earliest days, wine was considered a drink for kings and
nobles. Across civilizations, from the Sumerians to the Egyptians, wine was not
only enjoyed at the most important moments in the here-and-now, but even
accompanied personages of the highest birth on their journeys to the afterlife.
Wine, a drink for kings, pharoahs and warriors, was considered a veritable
gift from the gods. Cults based around the consumption and enjoyment of wine
sprang up in ancient Greece and Rome, while wine became a central element in
both Hebrew and Christian ritual and liturgy. The daily requirement for wine to
celebrate the miracle of the Eucharist – the transubstantiation of wine into the
blood of Christ – meant that as Christianity spread to the New World and
beyond, vineyards needed to be planted for the production of wine for the
quotidian celebration of Mass.
Amphora, probably made in Cyprus, 300–100 BC. The amphora was the vessel of transport and storage for
wine in the ancient world. Amphorae could be stacked in the holds of ships for transport across the
Mediterranean and were easily handled due to their shape and size.
Shang Dynasty spouted ritual wine vessel, 13th century
BC.