Caro Feely - Wine: The Essential Guide to Tasting, History, Culture and More

WINE

Copyright Summersdale Publishers Ltd, 2015

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All rights reserved.

Caro Feely has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the publishers.

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eISBN: 978-1-78372-682-0

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Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this book is accurate and current at the time of publication. The author and the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any misuse or misunderstanding of any information contained herein, or any loss, damage or injury, be it health, financial or otherwise, suffered by any individual or group acting upon or relying on information contained herein.

Dedicated to my daughters Sophia and Ellie

CONTENTS

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

Thank you to Summersdale for asking me to write this book. As a wine lover, wine teacher, winemaker and writer, I jumped at the opportunity. Writing this book drew on my training as an educator for the Wine Spirit Education Trust and my work as a winegrower, and sent me to new places and many wonderful websites, where I discovered intriguing new facts about my beloved friend, wine. Two of the most useful websites were www.jancisrobinson.com (you can subscribe to a paid service but there is useful free information too) and www.winefolly.com. I highly recommend visiting both in your wine explorations.

INTRODUCTION

WINE CAN MAKE THE SAGE FROLIC AND THE SERIOUS SMILE.

HOMERS ODYSSEY

Wine fills our mouths with flavour and our hearts with joy. The bounty of the vine has been called divine. Wine is an endless world and a wild companion, guaranteed to offer enlightenment, laughs and surprises. It can lift our spirits when we are down and provide the perfect way to celebrate when we are up. Today wine is embraced as part of the culture of enjoying food and even art perhaps more now than ever throughout its long history.

But most of all it is something we share; whether its a family lunch, a picnic, a book club event, a girls night out or a lads night in, the odds are that there is wine involved. Wine is a subject that we can never reach the end of; it is like an infinity joke: just when you think youve got it, you realise there is so much more.

My first taste of wine was a South African Riesling tingling with lime and exuding floral aromas. It offered a rainbow of flavours. From there I expanded into student fare, the cheapest red I could find and the odd special-occasion wine, then a friend who was a master of wine introduced me to a wider world that included international wines. I was smitten. Then I met my husband Sean, whose grandparents were winegrowers in South Africa. Our passion grew to such a point that wine became our profession. Now, as a winegrower, my wine view has expanded to include vines, the wonderful plants that give us grapes to make wine; the ground they grow in; the world of nature, balance and ecology that creates the best of wines and epitomises that French word terroir . Not to be confused with the terror that one can feel when faced with a wall of wine, no explanations and an urgent requirement for a dinner-party bottle or two.

In this little book you will find an overview of the history of wine, advice on how to taste wine, details on wine regions, how wine is grown, terroir , a useful table of French wine terms and their English meanings (see pages 139141) and more. Through it I hope that you will discover something new and perhaps a thirst to explore, to grab the joy of wine and not be afraid of using the wrong term, to try that unexplored wine area, grape or winemaker. After all, as a Latin saying goes:

CHAPTER 1

THE HISTORY OF WINE

QUICKLY, BRING ME A BEAKER OF WINE, SO THAT I MAY WET MY MIND AND SAY SOMETHING CLEVER.

ARISTOPHANES (COMIC PLAYWRIGHT OF ATHENS)

Since ancient times wine has been part of our culture. No other beverage has created such excitement and emotion throughout its vast history. Not only does it have a long, established history the earliest archaelogical proof of wine made from grapes has been found in Georgia, Iran and China, currently dated to around 7000 bc but also an interesting dimension that includes art and literature. Wine transcends the more basic food products and even fermented products like beer. It has a spiritual quality that caused it to be featured in the art of palaces and pyramids.

From the continent of Asia, wine moved slowly westwards across the map of antiquity into Europe and eventually to the New World. Now grapes are grown and wine is made across the globe, and the New World is creating its own wine history.

A CATALYST FOR THE DISCOVERY OF WINE

The creation of pottery around 11,000 BC is thought to be a key technical innovation that enabled the creation of wine a few thousand years later.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES AND THE OLD TESTAMENT

Archaeological proof shows winemaking going back over 9,000 years. It is mentioned in Genesis in the Bible, when Noah grows a vineyard, and thereafter features throughout the Old Testament.

THE OLDEST WINERY

The oldest known winery was discovered in Armenia relatively recently, in 2007, and dates to around 4100 BC. The site includes an organised winemaking facility, complete with wine press, wine vats, jars and cups. Natural winemakers today use very similar tools, showing that winemaking is truly an ancient art. We could make wine successfully in that ancient winery.

ANCIENT TIMES: GREECE AND EGYPT

Depictions of wine and winegrowing appeared in Ancient Greece from around 4500 bc and in Egypt from around 3500 bc. Etchings and paintings often included gods or religious symbols, indicating that wine held a spiritual status quite apart from other agricultural products.