Richard Vine - The Curious World of Wine: Facts, Legends, and Lore About the Drink We Love So Much

The Curious World of

WINE

FACTS, LEGENDS, AND LORE ABOUT THE DRINK WE LOVE SO MUCH

Richard Vine, PhD

A Perigee Book

A PERIGEE BOOK

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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Copyright 2012 by Richard Vine

Illustrations on pages 4, 10, 12, 19, 51,53, 70, 72, 74, 80, 96, 99, 111, 142, 145, 151, 167, 169, 179, 199, and 202 by Marjorie Nafziger

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First edition: November 2012

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Vine, Richard.

The curious world of wine : facts, legends, and lore about the drink we love so much / Richard Vine, PhD.

pages cm

A Perigee book.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-399-53763-9 (hardback)

ISBN 978-1-101-61237-8 (eBook)

1. Wine and wine making. 2. WineFolklore. I. Title.

TP548.V482 2012

663.2dc23 2012024528

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To My Family

Gaye, a loving wife for more than 50 years,

and

our three great children,

Scott Cameron

Sabrina Marie

Stacia Nicole

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

T HE THOUGHT OF meeting the person responsible for the supply of wines to American Airlines was rather daunting. We were to consider purchases of several thousand bottles and a corresponding number of dollars. I envisaged a somewhat overpowering sort of character, who would try to squeeze the last chance of profit from us, the hopeful suppliers, and whose appreciation of wine might be of secondary importance.

I met instead Dr. Richard Vine, professor of enology emeritus, a gentle, friendly man whose knowledge of wine was far superior to my own. Whilst defending the interests of American Airlines, he seemed to accept that a fair deal for both sides was a sensible way to do business. And this we did for many years, most of which included an enjoyable and instructive lunch at our chateau, usually with the additional, thoroughly appreciated presence of his wife, Gaye.

Upon Richards retirement, these happy occasions sadly came to an end but left us with happy memories of Dr. and Mrs. Vine. In the meantime, he has written a book titled The Curious World of Wine, which will for sure bring great pleasure to wine enthusiasts across the world.

Not to be missed.

A NTHONY B ARTON

S EVENTEENTH-GENERATION B ORDEAUX ESTATE PROPRIETOR

C HTEAU L EOVILLE- B ARTON

C HTEAU L ANGOA- B ARTON

INTRODUCTION

P ROFESSOR R OBERT S MILEY, who directs wine business programs at the University of California at Davis, once remarked, Wine is a product that most of us know very little about that we buy a lot.

At first I questioned this statement. We enjoy a full range of modern media that provide wine reviews, tasting scores, and competition medalsall giving us valuable knowledge for our buying decisions. Each new vintage results in yet another round of critique fodder for the wine scribes. We are also blessed with how-to books, websites, and media programs offering various inventive notions for wine storage, wine service, wine travel, wine cookery, wine and food matching, and even wine auctions. But do all of these still leave us without the knowledge that Dr. Smiley suggests?

For some wine lovers, each bottle satisfies by simply pouring out drinking pleasure: passionate color, seductive aroma, vivid flavor, delicately balanced structure, and good value for money. Fair enough, but for enthusiasts who integrate wine into a lifestyle beyond just a nice match with dinner, perhaps there is more. Sharing some alluring wine stories might make dining a bit more interesting and maybe even a bit tastier too.

This book tells about some of the colorful characters, celebrated places, and quirky events that make such wine stories a fascinating topic. Some of the tales are amusing, others are a tad serious, and still others, a bit naughty. For example, would most sparkling wine devotees believe that a famous Champagne vintner was arrested as a Confederate spy during the American Civil War? Does hearing that one of the most prestigious California wineries was conceived in the bedroom of a French chateau stir up some racy notions? Without much thought, we commonly raise and touch our wineglasses in a toast, wishing each other health, or as the French say, Sant! But why? And why do we call this ritual a toast? Such simple bits of wine knowledge can enrich our lives and those of our friends too.

Who has not at one time or another wanted to offer a few entertaining wine tales to rescue a gathering from some boring, self-impressed wine snob? My vision was to put together a small selection of some lesser-known wine stories, told in a light and engaging tone, that I hoped everyone could enjoynot just wine buffs. With a career in wine spanning five decades and dozens of both national and international wine travels, I have filed away plenty of delightful fables and facts. Research to confirm them led to even more charming stories that needed to be shared.