Wine History 101: From Amphoras to AI
This issue was published on June 27, 2023.
Happy Wine Wednesday!
Today we’re brushing up on our history before talking to Heidi Mulholland, a certified wine educator, who will take us on a journey to the Balkans. A notice that there will be no wine tips in your inbox next week due to the July 4th holiday, so I’ll be back the following Wednesday!Now that that’s out of the way, pour yourself a glass and let’s get our wine (and history) nerd on!
Wine History 101
From Clay Vessels to the Roman Empire to AI
Some qvevris above ground, photo by Levan Totosashvili
The history of wine goes way, waaaaay back. Even if you’re not a history geek, it’s fascinating to follow the history and journey of wine to see how wine has changed (or not) across the world from thousands and thousands of years ago to me ordering wine online with help from a chatbot in 2023.
Our Woman in Wine today talks a little bit about the history of wine and the importance of wine in Southeastern Europe, so let’s start this week’s issue off with a quick history lesson.
Ready?
6000 BCE: In Georgia, large earthenware vessels called qvevri sealed with clay stoppers and resin are used to store wine
4000 BCE: This is where we find evidence of the first commercial winery in Armenia
1200 BCE: The Phoeniecians are the first to trade wine across the Mediterranean in ships, transporting wine in ceramic jugs (called amphoras) from the Middle East to North Africa and Europe
1350 BCE: Egyptians begin labeling wine jars with papyrus
500 BCE: Wooden barrels are introduced to store fermented beverages (like wine and beer)
300 BCE: Roman trade routes throughout Europe allow wine to be transported not just between ports but inland via roads
476 AD: International trade collapses with the fall of the Roman Empire, breaking down commerce and trades. With the potential of violence and roads in disrepair, many towns became isolated from the larger world for the first time in centuries, leading to the creation of local cultures and wine styles. Wine was no longer made just for commerce but for yourself and for your neighbors. This is when we begin to see the influence of what is now known as “terroir,” where the wine’s identity begins to revolve around where grapes are grown
1100’s : Commercial trade returns to Europe with the Commercial Revolution
1500’s: Transatlantic trade brings wine to the New World: The Americas, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand
1700’s: Paper labels begin to be affixed to bottles with the introduction of the lithograph, and cork begins to be used to prevent wine oxidation
1800’s: Producers in Champagne and Germany begin using labels to announce noble lineage and award-winning wines
There will definitely be a future issue on Old World vs. New World wines, but hopefully the above timeline sheds some light on why Old World wines (aka basically Europe) focus so much on the history and tradition of grapes and winemaking, while the New World (aka everywhere else) has more focus on experimentation, evolution, and commerce.
And now that you’ve completed Wine History 101, let’s head to the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe, home to countries such as Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria.
Heidi Mulholland
Certified Wine Educator
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Merobebe
If you could have any superpower related to wine, what would it be?
Heidi Mulholland
Memory, I suppose. There are so many details to learn and remember about vines, grapes, winemaking, producers, regions…It's a know-it-all's favorite game because the learning never stops.
Merobebe
What is your favorite non-wine beverage?
Heidi Mulholland
Lemonade! I love the acid and chill.
Merobebe
If you could visit any wine region in the world, where would you go?
Heidi Mulholland
As a history geek this is tough, but Crimea. Once considered the garden of the Russian Empire and the next Bordeaux of the world, Crimea was cultivated by Catherine the Great and her advisors to become the next great wine region of the world. It is renowned for its wine to this day, but the peninsula's future is as tortured as its past. I don't know that I will ever make it there, but if it is ever back under Ukrainian control, I'd love to help rebuild its future as a wine region to adventure to.
Merobebe
You say that wine is "history bottled." What do you mean by this?
Heidi Mulholland
Wine is a reflection of the time and place where the grapes were grown, the circumstances of the winemaker, and a bunch of other factors that get frozen in time when that bottle is corked. The location, the vintage, the winemaker all tell a story from the past.
Merobebe
Why do you think wine is so key to the human experience, both historically and today?
Heidi Mulholland
I see wine and analyze its significance to the human experience through many lenses.First, wine is a hugely risky endeavor. To grow grapes for wine, to harvest and ferment them, and to allow processes like malolactic fermentation and aging to occur is all about managing risk. A winemaker can manage it or craft it to make an incredible elixir. It's also a lot of faith! Sociologically, the fact that wine as a beverage has been important enough to cultivate grapes and craft unique wines over the course of history to then share, trade, act as medicine and social lubricant, economic super power and punishment, and a tax revenue blows my mind.
Wine is political. Empires across human history have invested in their own wine regions, colonized for access to wine, and built entire economic policies around the potential for tax revenue on wine. As beautiful as wine can be as an expression of the place and maker, it is also used as a crude tool for many governments today. It's important to understand the stark contrast between the people making wine and their lack of control of the place where that wine is made.
Wine is economics. Winemakers control so, so little (remember the risk!) and they have to do a lot of problem solving. Wine economics and history is closely tied to commodities – glass bottles, corks, labels, cardboard. The more expensive those items become, the less accessible and that much harder it is to share the wine. For example, in recent years with the global pandemic, the invasion of Ukraine, and many other events in any given location, all of these items became harder to access and increased the cost of a bottle of wine.
The value of wine over time tells us a lot about human relationships with status and prestige. Why is a bottle of LaFite worth thousands, and a bottle from the island of Sicily $14? I'm not saying they are the same – and they are not trying to be – but is one really better than the other? Is one story more valuable than the other, and who says so? The opinion, the value placed on a bottle of wine, the stories valued by other people is very human. These facets and so many others endlessly fascinate me. Most of all, the scarcity of wine from both real and philosophical perspectives really gets me talking!
Only so many bottles are produced each year by any given producer, and the cost can limit access. Once opened and drunk, a wine from that time cannot be captured again. Even further, you pour a glass of wine from a bottle and, once the wine is exposed to air, that wine tastes different than any other glass of wine, even if it is the very same bottle. The unique exposures of that moment, of that pour, and the sips make it unique. You'll never experience that wine that way again. Wine forces you to treasure that moment.
Merobebe
What first interested you in Balkan wines?
Heidi Mulholland
I was exposed to wine through my family, but I didn't really understand wine as a feature of culture until I lived in the Balkans. I traveled to France and Italy and there's no mistake that wine is a central feature of culture there. But I found in the Balkans that the food and wine culture bridges so many divides. The exploration of wine was vast as well – varietals and styles in places that no one was talking about that were cherished by the societies they served. It was really captivating. And the people of these countries are so proud to share!
I have studied, traveled, and worked in the Balkans since 2010 and I sincerely hope that education and telling these stories will help Americans explore these wines, and contribute to building the wine economy and tourism in these countries that frankly, have little else to keep their young generations there.
Merobebe
How long did you live in the Balkans, and what interested you in spending time there?
Heidi Mulholland
I lived in the region, mostly in Sarajevo, for about 3 years and went back and forth a lot for school projects and research. I still travel there for work from time to time. My research in the region was heavily focussed on national identity exploration and the decisions in the region (over time) to either be at war or be at peace. I have to say with wine, I am much more interested in what brings people together these days.
Merobebe
What sort of differences did you find in the food and wine culture there compared to the United States?
Heidi Mulholland
Wine, like so many other wine producing countries, really is a feature of everyday life and identity in the Balkans. The power of that identity and its importance is demonstrated in the persistence of the people to cultivate the vines and wines and fiercely protect them.
Merobebe
Is there a favorite (or least favorite!) wine-related memory or story from your time traveling?
Heidi Mulholland
I have wonderful memories of traveling solo and finding wine bars or restaurants that are full of people who are there to enjoy life with a glass of wine. This is true in so many places, but the Balkans are extremely hospitable! The more you ask to learn and show you're listening, the more they will share.
A favorite story is hard to choose…While I was in Dubrovnik this past April, a [wine sales] rep that the staff at Dvino Wine Bar in Old Town knew very well brought a 2006 vintage of Enjingi Bjelo Venje Barrique to taste. We were all like old friends at the bar by then. They opened the bottle but the rep was quite strict about the size of the pours."Not too much!" he'd say, to limit the volume in each glass. There were only 6 little pours! I gave the poor man a hard time and said, "The bottle is already open. You can't take it to the grave!"
By then, the owner of Dvino, Sasha, was already counting heads and lining up small tasting glasses behind the rep’s back and pouring splashes. He passed them out quickly and proposed a toast and the poor rep almost fainted at the sight of the bottle emptied down to 5 ounces. He had his hands on his head for a few seconds until he resigned and had to smile.
The wine was out of the bottle and everyone loved it. It was wonderful – nutty, smooth, with the perfect balance of overripe apples and acid. So much talent in that bottle. We had a wonderful time.
Merobebe
What are the first few things everyone should know about Balkan wines?
Heidi Mulholland
Balkan wines represent a rich history.
People care that you try the wine, not that you can pronounce it. And if you do try to pronounce it, they'll love you for it.
Food and wine are meant to be together!
Merobebe
For those new to the region, what producers/regions/varieties do you recommend they start with?
Heidi Mulholland
The Balkans is a huge peninsula with over a dozen countries full of wine regions, so I'd encourage people to start with what they can access in the U.S. Slovenia and Croatia have already have a huge and growing presence in the US! To name a few....
Slovenia: Movia
Croatia: CroatianPremiumWine.com
Bosnia-Herzegovina: WinesofIllyria.com
Serbia: Bikecki, a natural wine producer
North Macedonia: Tikveš
Merobebe
Lastly, as a certified wine educator, what tips do you have for people who are trying to develop their palate?
Heidi Mulholland
Taste everything and pay attention. See a new fruit at the grocery store you've never had before? Grab it and try it. Try everything in the fruit section – smell it and taste it. Pay attention to the acid, sugars and flavors and the sensations on your tongue. This will help you build a frame of reference to connect with wine! When tasting wine to develop one's palate, meaning building a taste or enjoyment of wine styles, I recommend proceeding with a mentor or somm, bartender, and a friend you trust. A vast palate is not an indication of sophistication, so I try to remind people that it is perfectly fine to have preferences and that wine is a way to explore!
If going it alone, I recommend connecting wines based on characteristics you enjoy. If you enjoy cranberry or cherry flavors, navigate pinot noir styles, lead into gamay, then progress to other flavors.
Merobebe
Any final thoughts for the community?
Heidi Mulholland
Buying a bottle of wine feels intimidating to most people, so even $20 on a bottle you know nothing about feels like a gamble. But I'd love to see us all think of wine as a way to travel the world from the comfort of our homes before we hop on that plane.
Explore the world with wine and let it guide you through the world. I hope that leads more people to the amazing countries of the Balkans and Eastern Europe, and I will be with them to guide them!
You can find Heidi on Instagram at @winesofthetimes or at her website here.
Get a wine-related movie or book pairing for your weekend.
Today’s pairing is our upcoming event, The Climate of Wine and Women in Leadership on Wednesday, July 19 at 8:30 pm ET/5:30 pm PT
I’ll be joined by leadership development consultant Valerie Lynn at this virtual, BYOB wine tasting event to talk about how climate and environments can impact wine and leaders. We’ll be doing a side-by-side comparison of cabernet sauvignon from Willamette Valley, Oregon and Napa Valley, California while Valerie shares some leadership tips and talks about how we can advocate for ourselves and each other as leaders.
Get all the details and RSVP for the free tasting event here.
I hope you learned something new!
Have a fantastic long weekend, hopefully filled with delicious food and wine. I’ll be doing a couple of winery visits myself…
See you in a couple of weeks!
Cheers,
Megumi