"Where there is no wine there is not love." –Euripides, Greece.
May 25th is
National Wine Day. This is your chance to crack open a bottle of your favorite kind
and celebrate those who discovered the wonders of grapes.
Ancient wine production
evidence dates from approximately 6000 B.C., when an ancient winery site was
found in Armenia, and grape residue was found in clay jars in Georgia, north of
Armenia. There were also signs of grape domestication discovered in eastern
Turkey.
Basically, wine is an
alcoholic drink from fermented grapes and is one of the few drinks that has survived
the ages and reached popularity among citizens all over the world.
Types of wines include red,
white, sparkling, rose, dessert, fruit, mead and starch-based wines.
In America, grape vines were
imported from the old world with the French Huguenots planting some of the
first vineyards in North America in Florida as early as the 1560s. Settlers up
and down the East coast took cuttings with them, later expanding the vines
westward into the Ohio territory. Using the vines they brought from Mexico, the
Spanish founded the first winery in California in what is now the San Diego
area.
Wine production had a
fluctuating history of bad and good years. During Prohibition, the industry
floundered; and then again during World War II, it struggled when grapes were
replaced with much-needed edible crops. By the end of the war, since good
European wine was scarce, Americans resorted to drinking cocktails, further harming
the industry.
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| Alsace Grape Vines |
It took until 1976, when a
panel of French wine experts scored several Napa Valley wines higher than the
top Bordeaux and white Burgundy in a blind tasting, putting Napa Valley on the
world wine map. The industry blossomed, and American wineries sprung up across
the United States.
Today, wine is a favorite
alcoholic drink—whether it’s an expensive, economical, or homemade variety. It’s
used in cooking and for marinating. Red wine is also thought to be heart
healthy.
When my husband and I took a
Viking Cruise down the Rhine River seven years ago, we had the opportunity to
see many vineyards in Germany and go up into France to see the vineyards of
Alsace. It was amazing to see the acres and acres of lush grape vines on the
hillsides.
Do you have a favorite wine
you enjoy? Personally, I prefer a sweet red, but there are many excellent varieties
made and sold in our small rural town, compliments of a nearby, local winery.
HUCKLEBERRY HAPPINESS now has a release date of June 24th. Please stay tuned!
Judy, you have been on our dream cruise--that Viking cruise. I'd be more envious if you weren't such a nice person I know you deserve the treat. When my husband used to travel regularly to Germany, we served wine regularly and he became quite a connoisseur. Now, we are both on medications that don't combine well with alcohol and we were talking the other day about how quickly we've forgotten most of the wines. We're from West Texas and there are even vineyards and wineries there now. Loved the post.
ReplyDeleteIt was a dream come true cruise, Caroline. And, we were treated like royalty the entire time, bused to various inland locations to see castles and wineries on Mercedes buses. But speaking about wine--my eldest son has now moved from Fort Worth to South Carolina. However, there is a certain local red wine wine, (and of course I can't remember the name}, that's from a Texas winery which I always purchased when I visited. It was superb!
ReplyDeleteI would love to go to the California wine country. It's supposed to be so pretty. I've been to local wine tastings and they're always fun. Thanks for the post. I lift my glass of wine to you.
ReplyDeleteI am right with you. I'd love to see the California wine country. Cheers!
DeleteI have always wanted to do a European river cruise to the wineries. Hear, hear to National wine day!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, Kathleen. Clicking my make-believe glass to yours. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteJudy Ann, I believe it was a chardonnay from Chateau Montelena that won the French competition. We had a bottle of the chardonnay for our 40th wedding anniversary, and it was amazing. So buttery and smooth, it was like inhaling rather than swallowing. Best white wine we've ever had.
ReplyDelete