Jun 14, 2016 | HISTORY OF WINE |
Modern wine culture began in Ancient Greece. In this cartoon you will see how the social side of wine developed: a shift from wine as a ritualistic drink or administered by the high society, to a drink made and consumed in every social class. This is what ancient Greeks did for us: brought wine in everyone‘s table. This chapter begins with a Socrates‘ quote: Wine moistens and tempers the spirit and lulls the cares of the mind to rest. It revives our joys and is oil to the dying flame of life. In other words: wine to relax, to feel better, to make us happy and make life easier. This quote means that wine had uses for the common people, beyond the religious purposes that were the main use of wine in earlier (and contemporary) civilizations. You can go back and check the previous videos about history of wine to check this fact. The point is how this transition happened: while in earlier societies, the rulers and/or the priests controlled vineyards and winemaking, in the Greek society wine was a business and therefore controlled by a commercial-based society. How was it that this commercial society had such importance in Ancient Greece? Around 1200 BCE the people from northern Greece invaded the southern Mycenaean Civilization, a monarchy and aristocracy-ruled society and, in terms of social order, similar to the Sumerians or the Egyptians. After the wars between the northern Greeks and the southern Mycenaeans, the land was devastated and the common people ran from ruin and misery to the invader-occupied fortresses for protection. For 2 centuries, the invaders tried to consolidate their power by giving more privileges to these common people at the cost of the former kings and aristocracy who tried to dispute their rights. It was around these fortresses that the new Greek society emerged: democratic city-states with vigorous commerce and mercantile class. That is how vine-growing and wine consumption expanded to a whole new group of people who could own vineyards, produce and drink their own wine. Wine became a common crop and eventually a business. There are many references to the usual consumption of wine by the ancient Greeks: the word “symposium” defined their favorite occasion to drink wine: conversation after meals. Also, poems like The Odyssey in which Ulysses found his father taking care of his vineyard, described as having 50 different furrows for each type of vine, when he returned from his adventures. There were vine-growing guides and even medical prescriptions from Hippocrates who prescribed different wines depending on the disease. The religious purpose of wine remained: Dionysus was a god from the east that, in the...
Jun 7, 2016 | WINE MISCELLANY |
This is my first piece about the Wine Bloggers Conference 2016 in Lodi. I’ve thought sharing a little piece of history about the winemaking tradition in Lodi Appellation with you. All of it based on what you can find on the Lodi Wine Comission site. Early explorers found a region full of wildlife and lush vegetation. Grapes grew wild in the region, but it was circa 1850 when Cpt. Charles Weber decided to plant vines around his home. Only 2 years later, George West, who came to mine gold, purchased cuttings from Weber and established the first major vineyard in the region. While West was growing grapes, the farmers in the region were dedicated to grain and watermelons, but, by the 1880’s the market for grains and watermelons went flat. Farmers began to show interest in the vines, embracing especially the Tokay variety, with a nice flame color very successful in the climate and soils of Lodi. Tokay was good for eating, to be fermented into wine, distilled into brandy, or fortified into port and sherry-styled wines. Prohibition in 1919 made growers to shift from making wine to shipping fresh grapes to the East, and since home winemaking was allowed, the demand for fresh grapes increased. By the end of Prohibition, Lodi wines were produced again: dessert-style wines like sherry, port and sparkling wines. During the 40’s and 50’s Lodi prospered with Tokay and Zinfandel. However, in the 60’s consumer tastes began to change to table wines so Lodi growers began focusing on producing quality varietal like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. This transition ended and the Lodi Appellation was approved in 1986. Lodi has over 80 wineries and approximately...
May 23, 2016 | LEARNING ABOUT WINE |
Glad that you arrived here! Let’s go with the third step of the series Life in the Vineyard, in where you can see how the Human Factor affects the conditions to get a great and good wine… But also the price!. Check out the vine growing techniques. . Last note: I’ve separated this post in the 3 aspects, as they are easier to manage. So, the most important aspects that will affect the taste of the wine because of 3 variables: Life in the Vineyard: 1. The Climate & Place, as it determines the growing conditions of the grapevine. Life in the Vineyard: 2. The Varietal, as it is important it can express the better in the specific climate conditions Life in the Vineyard: 3. The Human Factor, as the techniques vine-growers use to facilitate the better conditions of the land to get the best wine...
Apr 12, 2016 | HISTORY OF WINE |
Enjoy the third cartoon video in the History of Wine series. It reviews some of the facts about wine in Ancient Egypt, especially about how the wine-making process was government controlled, and how their cellaring techniques involved a fairly modern labeling system. Wine records are quite important from this period and there is much archeological evidence of wine consumption. Again, the story is based on Jose Peñin’s book, the History of Wine. In Ancient Egypt, the Nile river valley was very suitable for growing grapes. After cerreals, the grapes were the second crop in terms of production. But only the pharaoh, the priests, the nobles and senior officials could own a vineyard. Even more, the winemaking was controlled by public officers: deciding how many crops should be left in the vines (as a fee for the gods) and the labelling which should indicate vintage, vineyard, owner, winemaker and quality assessment. The quality scale went from “No Quality” to “8 times good”. The type of wine they drank remains unclear, but it’s known that Cleopatra liked an aromatic, sweet white wine, which by the period, it was probably made of muscat grapes. It seems clear, though, that wine was reserved for high society who indulged with big banquets (with a mummy watching them) and abandoned themselves in gluttony and drunkenness. The royal guard can also drink wine and their members received 4 glasses of wine per day in their salaries. Beer was the usual drink for the common people, despite of they were allowed to drink wine in the pharaoh festivals. Ancient Egyptians taste for wine was probably very different from the current preferences, using...
Apr 5, 2016 | LEARNING ABOUT WINE |
Congratulations! If you passed Climate & Place you are now ready for the 2nd step in the series Life in the Vineyard, where you can see The Varietal as another key factor for producing a good and great wine. . Ready for more about Life in the Vineyard? Vitis vinifera is the scientific name of the grapevine and there are between 5,000 and 10,000 subspecies. That said, only 150 of them are planted in significant amounts to produce wine. These different vines perform in different ways depending on the climate, the soil and the amount of sun hours they need to ripen. On average, a vine needs between 80 and 120 days of sun in a year. Also, a subspecies can have different clones. A clone is a specific individual, therefore, there are still many differences among them. Like humans, being the same species, we are different from one another. So, the chardonnay planted in California doesn’t perform in the same way that the chardonnay planted in France. It’s because of this differential factor that it’s important to match the varietal (and the clone) correctly with the place. Finally, there is another aspect of the vine to consider: the rootstock. The roots of the vine determine the vigor of the plant, its resistance to specific pests and are more or less adapted to specific types of soils. The upper part of the vine and the roots are not the same individual. It’s a major practice to graft the varietal you want to grow in the best adapted rootstock for a specific site. So, when the growers want to change the varietal they are producing,...
Mar 30, 2016 | LEARNING ABOUT WINE |
Let’s go with the first step of the series Life in the Vineyard, in where you can see Climate & Place as key factors for growing grapes. Ready to know where vines can grow and why? . Ready for more about Life in the Vineyard? In this video you’ll see how the specific site where a vine is planted affects the wine that is produced. What are the requirements for a vine to grow? Vines need a temperate climate (between 25ºF and 104ºF) with a long frost-free season. This is because under 25ºF there is a high risk for the plant to die, as the trunk can crack (and make the plant prone to infections) or, in the early spring, the frost can kill the buds. Also, above 104ºF the grapes shrink and dehydrate very quickly. This conditions are typically found between 30º and 50º of latitude (in both hemispheres). There is a concordance between the main wine-producing areas and these latitudes. But not only this, the specific place is also important: the climate can have significant variations due to topographic characteristics like the prevailing winds or breezes, mountains and bodies of water as lakes, seas or oceans. Key factors on vineyard to produce good and great wines Sun: it allows the grapes to ripen. In the ripening process, the acids of the green fruit become sugar. You need ripe fruit with a proper amount of sugar to ferment the must into wine. Water: this is a key factor in different stages of the plant. It’s good to have a good source of water when the vine is...
