Wine: From Neolithic Times to the 21st Century

The dramatic story of wine, one of the foundations of Western Civilization, is the story of religion, medicine, science, war, discovery and dream. The essential historical background and the key developments in the history of wine through the ages are outlined in this compact, engaging, easy-to-read and well-illustrated text. Intelligently written, with abundant photos, this book reveals the complexity of the process of wine-making as well as the complexity of flavors one may savor, including lists of top vintages.Winemaking emerged early in the history of civilization. In the Neolithic period it was developed across Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean. From there, the Classical Greeks and Romans took it further by cultivating vineyards, spreading viticulture across Europe and shaping modern wine culture. In the Medieval and Renaissance eras, monasteries preserved winemaking techniques during turbulent times, ensuring that wine’s legacy endured right up to the New World expansion. In these pages, we’ll follow the global expansion of vineyards as explorers brought wine to the Americas, Australia, and South Africa. For thousands of years wine mixed with water was the safe thing to drink. It was a key ingredient of medications. The antiseptic properties of the alcohol it contains saved lives. Wine was associated with many religious rituals, some of which survive today. The story of wine involves scientists like Hippocrates of Kos, Zaccharia Razi, Isaac Newton (albeit indirectly), Louis Pasteur, and many others. It also involves colorful people such as Gregory of Tours and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Vines made their way to the Americas with the Conquistadores. Then wines almost disappeared in the late 1800s as Phylloxera spread throughout the world. This scourge was followed by World War I, the Great Depression, Prohibition, and World War II. Today, winemaking has enjoyed a renaissance and many excellent and affordable wines are produced throughout the world. Many books discuss today's wines without much historical information. Others overwhelm potential readers by their sheer size. This book provides a quick introduction to wine through history, geography, chemistry, and taste. Useful for all who enjoy wine, and a thoughtful gift for men and women who thirst for knowledge as well as a good vintage, the book is also designed to be a possible foundation for a one-semester course on the history of wine.Author Stefan K. Estreicher is Paul Whitfield Horn Professor of Physics at Texas Tech University. His fascination with wine, and the history of wine, dates back to a memorable encounter with a bottle of Richebourg 1949 while working toward his doctorate from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. He has been invited to lecture on the topic at scientific meetings in San Francisco and Santa Clara as well as at Texas Tech and Oxford University (UK). Estreicher has published over 150 scientific papers as well as several articles on various aspects of the history of wine. Read more