Drink wine, and you will sleep well.
Sleep, and you will not sin. Avoid sin,
and you will be saved. Ergo, drink wine
and be saved.
- Medieval German saying
The Mythology of Wine
Each discipline has legends, folklore
and mythology
Wine, interestingly enough, has been
part of religion and mythology since
ancient time
Part of the lure of the grape for
tourists is certainly anchored in the
myth
Why Wine Mythology?
The Ancient Greeks had twelve
major gods on Olympus:
Zeus (Jupiter) – king, thunder, justice
Hera (Juno) – queen, marriage, motherhood, women
Poseidon (Neptune) – sea, earthquakes
Demeter (Ceres) – fertility, seasons, agriculture, nature
Hestia (Vesta) – goddess of the home
Aphrodite (Venus) – love, beauty, desire, fertility
Apollo (Apollo) – sun, health, truth, archery
Ares (Mars) – war, hatred
Artemis (Diana) – moon, the hunt, maidens
Athena (Minerva) – wisdom, crafts, battle
Hesphaestus (Vulcan) – fire, the blacksmith
Hermes (Mercury) – messenger of the gods, thieves,
trade, speed, commerce
Greeks and Wine
The Ancient Greeks also had gods
whose thrones were not on Olympus:
Hades (Pluto) – god of the Underworld, wealth,
precious metals, the dead
Nike (Victoria) – goddess of victory
Persephone (Proserpina) – goddess of spring, death
Morpheus – god of dreams
Nemisis – goddess of retribution, revenge
Pan (Faunus) – god of the wild, animals, nature
Eros (Cupid) – god of lust, desire
Eris (Discordia) – goddess of discord
Greeks and Wine
The Greeks, creative as they were,
also had a god for wine, parties
and general merriment of all kinds
This god was Dionysus (Bacchus in
Roman)
His history and artistic depictions can
begin to unravel the mysteries of
wine, its lure and its intoxicating
effects
Greeks and Wine
For the Ancient Greeks, Dionysus was
one of the twelve great gods of Mt.
Olympus
His father was Zeus (Jupiter), ruler
of all gods and Dionysus is the only
one of the twelve great gods to
have a mortal mother, Semele, a
princess of Thebes
Dionysus (Bacchus)
Hera hated (the pregnant) Semele
and tricked her into being killed
Dionysus (much later) pulls his mother
out of Hades, giving him the power
of the Underworld to bring people
back to life
Dionysus also creates dolphins
Dionysus (Bacchus)
Throughout art, in the Greek, Roman,
Renaissance and Modern periods,
Dionysus has been depicted in a
variety of forms
Dionysus (Wine) and Art
Most commonly, Dionysus is a young,
effeminate male – long hair, usually
nude, often being carried about
His beguiling appearance was
known for “sending men into
madness” – he was tempting to both
sexes
No one was safe from his
(wine’s) seduction
Dionysus (Wine) and Art
Dionysus was later depicted as a
bearded man, lean and fit
Renaissance artists often depicted
Dionysus as a rather large man, or
as a chubby baby – both always
with wine
Later Representations
Protestants, less comfortable with the
genderless Dionysus gave him a
more decidedly masculine
appearance
Later Representations
Using the wine legend can be a
powerful marketing tool
Clos Pegase uses strong mythology in
its marketing – providing a theme if
you will, for the winery
Pegasus (son of Poseidon and Medusa)
Pegasus released the spring from Mt.
Helicon, which watered the vines that
were used to create wine
The Muses were inspired by drinking the
wine and music, dance, poetry, drama,
painting – the arts, were created
Dionysus in Wine Tourism
More Clos Pegase
Bacchus, as discussed already, is also
used at Clos Pegase
In addition to creating wine, Bacchus is
the god of fertility and he also
created the myth of the immortal soul
(which we see later in Christianity)
Dionysus in Wine Tourism
The Christian Bible makes its
strongest reference toward wine in
the miracle performed by Jesus at
Cana
Jesus not only creates wine, as did
Dionysus, but Jesus also represents
re-birth and the immortal soul, as
did Dionysus
Christianity and Wine
Wine is used in the Bible also as
reference to Jesus’ blood as part of
the Holy Communion
The Bible also makes reference to
wine as a digestive agent, a
medicine and as a topical cleanser
Christianity and Wine
Drunkenness, however is not a
positive in the Bible
Noah was the first tiller of the soil.
He planted a vineyard; and he drank
of the wine, and became drunk, and
lay uncovered in his tent.
Christianity and Wine
The first wine made in the US was in
Florida in the mid-1500s
By the early 1600s, wine was being
attempted in Virginia Colony and
Carolina Colony
Wine in the New World
The Pilgrims landed with a great
deal of wine with them and began
the cultivation of indigenous wine
grapes immediately – producing the
first wine in a matter of months
(although it most likely wasn’t very
good wine)
Christians in America
It is important to note that the
eastern United States had native
grape species – vitis labrusca (fox
grapes) and vitis rotundifolia
(muscadine grapes)
These grapes are still used for wine
in some regions, but the wine is at
best, “foxy”
Christians in America
As with wine in Europe, the wine
industry in the US owes much of its
beginnings to the church
In 1769 Father Junípero Serra
planted the first vines in California
at the Mission San Diego de Alcalá
To California
Virginia wine was also being
attempted with European grapes
from France by Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson helped further our
connection with French cuisine,
including their wine
Meanwhile…
In the 1850s and 1860s,
Agoston Haraszthy brought
several European vines to
California and established
the Buena Vista Winery in
Sonoma, the oldest winery
in California
To California
While all parts of California were
buzzing with wine, the Shenandoah
Valley of Amador County saw an
explosion of wine making in the early
1850s
The Gold Rush created a string of
industries vying for prospector’s money
Grandpère vineyards have the US’s
oldest zinfandel vines due to this
period of activity
Gold and Wine
Napa Valley’s first winery was Charles
Krug
In 1865, American vines were taken to
Europe, and phylloxera managed to
destroy nearly all European vines
1879 Inglenook wines won Gold
Medals at the 1889 World’s Fair, a
first for American wine
By 1900, American wines had gained
success in South African and Australia
To California
The standards of the wine should
always be determined by the people to
whom we hole to sell.
- Ernest Gallo
The Mythology of Wine
Prohibition threatened to destroy the
US wine industry just as it was
becoming well known
By WWI thirty-three states were
dry, and by 1920, the US had
instituted prohibition Nation-wide
Wine growers switched to juice
grapes – this lasted until the early
1970s
Death of US Wine
Several states remained dry even
after prohibition ended (some counties
are still dry) in 1933
The drink of choice became fortified
wine, due to the higher alcohol content
It was not until 1986 that the number
of wineries in California matched preprohibition levels – and this was with
primarily inexpensive table wines
(Sutter Home, Gallo, etc.)
Death of US Wine
The only wineries allowed to
operate during prohibition were
those that were religiously run for
sacramental wines
Christian Brothers and Beaulieu
Vineyards (BV) were instrumental in
saving the California (US) wine
industry by continuing to refine the
process when others couldn’t make
wine
Re-Birth of US Wine
Wine was still commonly used as
medicine during the 1930s and
1940s – and the Lodi region saw a
huge increase in the demand for
wine as Southern California all but
stopped production
Re-Birth of US Wine
Wine in the US maintains production,
focusing almost exclusively on
California
While several players exist
(including Paul Masson and
Seagram’s), the Gallo brothers
eventually become the leaders
Gallo focuses attention on cheap
land in the Central Valley for wine
production
The “Lean” Years
Americans from the 1940s to the
1970s consume wine, increasing
amounts, although the wine industry
struggles to make significant profits
Wine Tourism is relatively unheard
of
Gallo doesn’t focus on quality – it
focuses on pleasing the “American”
palate
The “Lean” Years
Americans, even in the 1950s and
1960s knew that dry wine was
considered “better”
But Gallo discovered through sales
analysis that Americas said one
thing, but bought another
(Gallo also noted that Americans
loved soft drinks)
Gallo sought to remove the barriers
to American wine purchasing
The “Lean” Years
In 1954, the US government
allowed wine to have flavors
added
Prior to this date, the only flavor
that could be added was Vermouth
(any other flavors had to be added
at a rectifying plant, not a winery)
After 1954, wines were flavored
with chocolate, cola, cloves, rhubarb,
etc.
The “Lean” Years
A few of Gallo’s inventions…
Thunderbird (fortified white wine and lemon
flavor)
Maverick (fortified wine)
Ripple (carbonated wine and fruit flavor)
Pink Pussy Cat (carbonated, sweetened white
wine)
Boone’s Farm (carbonated wine and apple
flavor)
And, of course, Pink Chablis…
Gallo
Ernest Gallo’s term was total
merchandising
This meant that Gallo wanted to
control the vineyards, the winery, the
distributors, the wholesalers and
even the retailers
Ernest Gallo meant to control
retailers from the large chains to the
mom and pop stores
Gallo
Total Merchandising:
Talk to retailers about the advantages of carrying the
Gallo product
Obtain the most visible position for Gallo product
Trim shelves with colorful point-of-sale materials
Use bottle collars to attract customer attention
Rotate stock to ensure quality
Keep Gallo shelves stocked
Dust Gallo bottles to keep them clean
Place counter displays in key traffic locations
Gallo
Wine Advisory Board
Set standards for “good” wine and
“table” wine
Regulated growing regions and
productions amounts
Created “wine education” for the
American public
Americans and Wine
Red Wine
Burgundy, Claret
White Wine
Chablis, Rhine
Appetizer Wine
Vermouth, Sherry
Dessert Wine
Port, Muscatel, Tokay
Categories of Wine
To their credit, the Gallo brothers
did try to produce “good” table
wine – and it was through their
efforts that much research into wine
making was done at UC Davis
Gallo
Robert Mondavi began a campaign
to end the dominance of the Central
Valley
Problem was, many bay area
vineyards at the time were losing out
to freeways, suburban sprawl,
shopping malls, etc.
Monterey/Salinas Valley began to
take the overflow
Re-Birth of US Wine
California Style
Scenery
Hollywood
Disneyland
Beaches
Music
Re-Birth of US Wine
In 1965, Robert Mondavi left
Charles Krug and created his own
winery – the first large-scale new
winery since prohibition
Mondavi’s influence was that he
changed the way American wines
were named – by varietal (pinot
noir, chardonnay), rather than region
(Burgundy, Chablis)
Re-Birth of US Wine
Terroir is the term the French use to
describe the wine region
The French have spent centuries
determining the best grapes for
each region
French Wine
In order to know what is in a French
wine, you must read the label
Blends are very common in France
Bordeaux, for example, can grow
cabernet sauvignon and its relatives:
Red (merlot, cabernet franc, malbec
and petit verdot)
White (sauvignon blanc, sauterne,
sémillon, merlot blanc, colombard)
French Wine
Rhône, for example, focuses mainly
on Syrah, but does have other
grapes:
Red (syrah, durif, grenache,
mourvedre)
White (roussanne, viognier, ugni blanc)
French Wine
Naming by varietal
Extreme experimentation
Extreme microclimates
Development of regional varietals
“Domination” of the French
California Wine
In 1976, the Judgment of Paris
ranked Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
cabernet sauvingnon ahead of all
French wines and world attention
shifted towards Napa Valley
Chateau Montelena ranked highest
in whites (chardonnay)
World Domination
In the competition, Napa Valley red
wines beat the French in 1976,
1986 and in 2006
In 2005/6, France began allowing
the US system for naming wines
World Domination
During the 1980s there was a huge
push in inexpensive tables wines at the
American public – white zinfandel was
the wine of choice (this wine was first
produced in Lodi)
As a note, white zinfandel is not a
varietal, but the result of a process
that uses standard zinfandel grapes
Sutter Home winery has become the
largest producer of this inexpensive
wine
1970s-1980s
In the late 1980s, red wine found a
new promotional tool – health
Heart protection – antioxidants in wine
can prevent the release of free
radicals, which can cause damage to
healthy heart cells
Cancer prevention – resveratrol helps
minimize the DNA mutations that lead
to cancer and prevents the formation
of new blood vessels that feed tumors
1980s
Merlot took full advantage of the
new heath-related benefits of wine
Merlot was overproduced
Merlot became over-popular
Merlot became bad and bland
Merlot
"I live for Merlot."
—Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld
"No, if anyone orders Merlot, I'm
leaving. I am not drinking any
f***ing Merlot!"
—Miles Raymond from Sideways
Merlot Moments
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Pinot Noir
Sangiovese
Syrah
Petit Sirah
Barbera
Tempranillo
Varietal Diversity