I have always loved the magic of wine and am toying with the idea of becoming – or at least studying to become a sommelier. Wine, like life, is a game of chance writ large.
With wine the game starts much earlier than planting the grape vines; it starts with soil and the configuration of the landscape. And that starts with geology and climate. Complicated. And then there are grapes, with a history of cultivation in the Egypt from 6,000 – 8,000 years ago, and part of the history of Greeks, Phoenicians, and Romans.
These tales of wine will be numbered in sequence as I learn more and more about the whole story.
Wine history has to do with the alcohol made in fermentation and the history goes back a long time. The oldest-known winery was discovered in the “Areni-1” cave in Vayots Dzor, Armenia. Dated to 4100 BC, the site contained a wine press, fermentation vats, jars, and cups. Archaeologists also found V. vinifera seeds and vines. The seeds were from Vitis vinifera, a grape still used to make wine. But wait… ther’s more…
daily woodring 