Wonderful World of Wine
Wine is one of the oldest and most respected entities that encompasses such a rich social, cultural, economical and agricultural history. Wine has been witness to some of the most important occasions in history and has played a role in most of them. Ancient wine residue has been found in pottery excavated in the area of Georgia and Iran dating back to about 6,000 B.C.. However, domestic grapes were not evident until around 3200 B.C. near Egypt. It is still unclear exactly when and where wine was first produced, but that doesn’t detract from its rich history.
The earliest known wine residue in Europe was found in Greece. Wine was very common in ancient Greece and Rome. They were very successful in developing new technologies such as the wine press and this was the time when barrels were used for the storage of the wine. New grape varieties and new cultivation techniques were also created and this helped to increase the popularity of this potent grape juice. Then, in medieval Europe, Christians began using wine in the sacrament and it became a very important part of a religious ceremony. From this point on, wine became widely accepted and the production and consumption increased. It was viewed as an acceptable alternative to beer or mead. At this point, after the 15th century, the production of wine spread throughout other parts of the world.
The Spanish Conquistadors brought over grapes to Latin America in order to provide what is necessary for the Church and their needs. These grapes were planted at missions and were later known as mission grapes that are still planted today. When immigrants became coming to the Americas in droves, the French, German and Italians provided the necessary variety of grapes that are used today to make some of the worlds most renowned wines. Wine in the Americas generally comes from California, Argentina and Chile and ranges in quality from inexpensive box wines to high end hybrids. Wine in the Americas is produced from the Old World grape varieties, but until 1976 was considered inferior to the wines of Europe. In 1976 at the Paris Wine Tasting, California wine out ranked french wine in every category and from that moment on was considered a contender for a leader in the industry. The movie Sideways was based on this story and is highly recommended.
A new contender in the world of wine is Australia. Australia produces some of the worlds best cheap wine. The quality for the price is unbeatable and if you are a general consumer, Australian wine is your best choice for best bang for your buck. Try some today!
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