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WINE

Throughout time, wine has had a special influence on Western culture, a sentiment expressed by the Greek historian Thucydides in the quote to the right. From its earliest development, wine has had a special place in our customs, diet and social gatherings.

The cultivation of wine exists throughout the world. From France to the cool Hunter Valley of Australia, wine is produced and enjoyed by many. Few regions of the world remain untouched by its many virtues.

In today's modern world wine is widely discussed and consumed globally. The wine industry has undergone a massive boom in the last few decades resulting in many varieties of wine from which to choose. This boom should continue into the near future as we learn more about wine, wine making and its health benefits.

Historical Impact of Wine: Health, Religion and Agriculture

The development of wine closely parallels that of western civilization. As civilizations became more advanced, so did the wine industry. Where wine was once only available to a select few, it eventually came to be found in almost every home throughout the world.

Wine and Health
In ancient times wine was said to bring a higher state of consciousness to its drinkers. Wine has been regarded as a source of comfort and courage as well as a way to lift the spirits of a tired and downtrodden individual. Throughout history individuals have preached the digestive powers of wine. Wine can help wipe out the bacteria that are responsible for food-related stomach problems.

Recently, scientific studies have found examples of medical proof concerning the healthy benefits of drinking wine.

Something know as the "French Paradox" has long astounded individuals around the world. Americans especially wondered why the French, who eat more red meat and smoke more than they do, also suffered from fewer heart attacks. In the 1980s medical studies found that people who consume moderate amounts of red wine are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease than non-drinkers or heavy drinkers. These findings led health conscious Americans to ask for red wine more frequently. The Merlot boom in today's wine industry is the American answer to the French Paradox.

Antioxidants
The antioxidants in wine have recently been linked to the prevention of heart disease and cancer. These antioxidants have compounds in them that inhibit the formation of cancer cells and reduce the buildup of fat cells in the arteries.

Wine drinkers also seem to have less of a chance of succumbing to Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia.

Learn more about Red Wine and Health.

Wine and Religion
References to wine and religion exist as far back as Ancient Egypt where wine was regarded as a gift from the gods. This belief may have come from the fact that Egyptian wine was only available to the elite. Many ancient cultures believed that wine was a gift from the gods: Egyptians, Persians, Greeks and Romans.

Wine has also historically been used in funeral rites. In Ancient Egypt, the higher the social status of the deceased, the greater quantity of wine used to anoint his body and belongings before entombment. Some Pharaohs, such as King Tutankhamen, were given jars of wine in their tombs to accompany the royal spirit on its journey to the underworld.

To the Greeks, the god Dionysus promoted vegetation and fruitfulness. They held a celebration late in December in honor of Dionysus, which coincided with the new wine of the vintage. The Romans continued this practice with their god Bacchus. Their devotion to Bacchus led to the development of wine-making techniques that continued to be unequaled until the 17th century.

Wine plays a major role in the Jewish and Christian cultures. In Jewish ritual, each Sabbath begins with a blessing chanted over a cup of wine, which the whole family then shares. Specific amounts of wine are also drunk at Passover, weddings and circumcisions.

In Christian ritual, wine is also given a role of importance. The first miracle of Jesus at Cana occurred when he turned water into wine at a wedding feast, thereby setting the stage for later use of wine in Christian practices. The Christian Eucharist also relates to the consumption of wine. The Last Supper and the symbolism of Christ's sacrifice of himself has many interpretations and different rituals. Many of these, including the Catholic mass call for the use of wine in the performance of the Eucharist.

Since the consumption of alcohol is prohibited by the Islamic code of law and theology, as the Islamic Empire rose wine making was almost stopped in a geographic area that stretched from northern India to Spain.


Wine and Agriculture

There is evidence that wine production dates back as far as the early civilizations of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.

The Egyptians seemed particularly fond of wine and depicted its harvest on many of their tomb walls and stone tablets. It seems that the production of wine was an intricate part of their daily agriculture.

The Greeks also celebrated the cultivation of grapes and held many religious festivals to ensure for a good harvest. The study of wine making and grape cultivation played a large part in their everyday life as well.

In more recent history, wars and other destructive events such as fires have called for massive replanting of Europe's vineyards. These replantings have not only influenced the wine industry, but the agriculture of Europe as well. The increase of larger vineyards in both Europe and the New World has caused many individual farmers to stop cultivating grapes and search for other ways to survive financially.

Environmental Aspects of Viniculture
Many environmentalists believe that the fumigation processes used by some of the larger wineries may lead to the destruction of natural plant and animal life. This problem is currently being researched.

Perhaps the most famous example of wine's agricultural impact on the world is the Phylloxera outbreak in the late 1800s. When this disease first struck, winegrowers tried to halt it through the use of fumigation.

This fumigation did not solve the problem, since it caused the deaths of too many vines as well as workers. By the time agriculturalists discovered that grafting Old World vines onto New World plants halted the spread of Phylloxera, many French vineyards had been lost. Although the French lost much of their prime wine region to Phylloxera, they soon found another area to cultivate grapes in the Rioja region of Spain. Since that time, Rioja has produced many of the world's finest wines, turning a tragedy into a positive for the wine world.

Phylloxera is still a problem in the wine industry. In 1996 many of the California vines were destroyed by a new strain of Phylloxera. Currently the wine industry has joined scientists around the world to find a solution to the continuing problem of Phylloxera. There is hope that the combined efforts of these two groups will discover a way to halt Phylloxera in the near future.