Wine fact and fiction in the new and old world
Wine fact and fiction storytelling
Wine fact and fiction
With wine fact and fiction, and with almost every tale, the biggest myth of all is that this is how it has always been done!
When a tradition such as wine has a history of more than 8,000 years – at least that is what archaeology tells us – there’s plenty of scope for storytelling!
Here, we dig into some of the fun facts, ideas, anecdotes (and the odd white lie) of the wonderful world of wine.
Grape JUICE changed civilisations
Ancient clay vessels dating back 8,000 years were found in Georgia in a 2015 archaeological dig, supporting the country’s claim as the original (grape) wine-producing country.
The etymology of European terms for wine such as vin and vino is assumed to be the Georgian word ghvino, or gvino.
Where there’s a church, there’s a VINEYARD
Wine fact and fiction, It is believed that the almost magical, mystical perceived properties of wine led it to become part of the Christian sacrament – the Blood of Christ.
Monasteries across Europe began to cultivate vineyards, for example in France, where Benedictine and Cistercian monks in the Champagne and Burgundy regions became premium wine producers, meticulously mapping vineyards areas which are still recognised today.
MUCH safer than drinking water
Up until the beginning of the seventeenth century, wine was the only safe beverage, as well as the most durable and storable.
Even water was unsafe to drink (at least in cities), and ale went off very quickly.
Drinking HABITS changed
Drinking habits were all to change following the introduction of chocolate from Central America, coffee from Arabia and of course, tea from China.
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With Champagne, tiny is better than big. The most premium cuvées have the tiniest beads. How many bubbles are there in a bottle of Champagne?
TINY bubbles better than BIG
Estimates range between 49 million and 250 million! But not all bottles of Champagne are created equal; bubble size matters.
Put a glass of Champagne next to a glass of tonic water or soda (or even a glass of Prosecco) and you’ll get the idea.
A very good white wine with BUBBLES
A bottle of Champagne starts with a very good white wine made with a first fermentation. Then the bubbles happens later, after a second fermentation.
Wine fact and fiction, we may think of Champagne as being quintessentially French, but it was actually discovered by an Englishman, Christopher Merrett (1614-1695).
ENGLISH méthode champenoise
He had described the distinctive process of the ‘méthode champenoise’ several years before Dom Pérignon, a monk at the Benedictine Abbey at Hautvillers, began his own experiments for creating bubbles in the bottle.
Burial at SEA wine fact and fiction
Wineries across the world are experimenting with wine burials at sea and ageing in the ocean. By filling metal cages with bottles of wine, and then slowly sinking them into the sea the hope is that the pressure will bring refinement.
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Taking inspiration perhaps from shipwrecked wine, which has been seen to stay in excellent condition, producers cite the absence of light and oxygen, and the near constant temperature, as providing ideal ageing conditions.
Wine fact and fiction TASTING & biodynamic
Taking into consideration all aspects of lunar and solar cycles, the biodynamic calendar is broken down into ‘fruit’, ‘flower’, ‘leaf’ and ‘root’ days. Fruit and flower days are considered the best for tasting wine.
For example, on fruit days, white wine aromatics are said to be more pronounced, and red wine tannins softer. Whereas on a root day, fruit flavours are muted, and tannins are harsher.
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Expensive does not necessarily mean good.
Wine fact and fiction related to GOOD
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, often known as DRC, is an estate in Burgundy, France, considered among the world’s greatest wine producers.
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At a Sotheby’s auction in 2018, a bottle of Romanée Conti 1945 (Pinot Noir) went for US$558,000, making it the most expensive bottle of wine ever.
Though quite probably undrinkable, the prestige of owning a bottle of such a rare wine would, for a wine collector, be immense.
They came, conquered and PLANTED
The Romans, during their conquests, enthusiastically planted vines and imported amphoras.
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In AD100, huge swathes of land in southern Europe were dedicated vineyards.
Detailed records were kept and great poets, like Virgil, helped supply instructions to winegrowers: “Vines love an open hill.”
MYTH of Dionysus
Ancient myth around wine reveals itself through Dionysus, the Greek god of the grape-harvest also winemaking and wine.
Dionysus was also the god of fertility, orchards, fruit and vegetation – as well as of religious ecstasy and insanity!
Wine more than JUST grape
Wine can be made from anything that can be fermented… mushrooms with Marmite (no, really?!), any fruit, vegetable or herb, and honey… although we shouldn’t really call it wine.
LOVE the planet
The carbon footprint of a bottle of wine is less than those of other alcoholic beverages.
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The impact on climate change of two glasses of wine is similar to a can of beer, or a bottle of beer.
For wine in a glass bottle, the packaging causes about quarter of the emissions, and there are issues around transportation.
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The industry is already on this, developing lighter bottles, rethinking packaging and developing high-tech bag-in-box receptacles.
So, LOVE the planet. Always choose wine!
Text Annabel Jackson / Photos Cammy Yiu
