0066: Wine

Grape Facts:

• The production of grapes is more than 72 million tons all over the world. There are approx. 25 million acres of grapes throughout the world!
• It takes about 2.5 pounds of grapes to produce a bottle of wine. 
• One grape cluster has on an average 75 grapes. 
• One grape vine can grow up to 50 feet long and can have about 40 clusters of grapes. 
• Eating too many grapes can give a laxative effect....

Interesting tidbits:

• Archaeological evidence suggests that the earliest known wine production occurred in Georgia, Iran and Armenia dated between 8,000 and 6,000 BC. 
• In medieval Europe the Church was a staunch supporter of wine, which was necessary for the celebration of the Catholic Mass. During the lengthy instability of the Middle Ages, the monasteries maintained and developed viticultural (grape cultivation) practices, having the resources, security, stability and interest in improving the quality of their vines. They owned and tended the best vineyards in Europe. 
• Dionysus is the god of wine and drunken revelry in Greek Mythology. He is often contrasted with his half-brother Apollo. Where Apollo personifies the cerebral aspects of mankind, Dionysus represents the libido and gratification. 
• Bacchanalia, festivals in honor of Bacchus the Roman god of wine were held on March 15 & 16. It was held in secret and initially attended by women only. Admission of the rites was subsequently extended to men. The term bacchanalia has since been extended to refer to any drunken revelry...

An interesting tale of a Persian king, Jamshid and his harem:

According to legend, the king banished one of his harem ladies from his kingdom, causing her to become despondent and wishing to commit suicide. Going to the king's warehouse, the girl sought out a jar marked "poison" which contained the remnants of grapes that had spoiled and were deemed undrinkable. Unbeknown to her, the "spoilage" was actually the result of fermentation caused by the breakdown of the grapes by yeast into alcohol. After drinking the so-called poison, the harem girl discovered its effects to be pleasant and her spirits were lifted. She took her discovery to the king who became so enamored with this new "wine" beverage that he not only accepted the girl back into his harem but also decreed that all grapes grown in Persepolis would be devoted to winemaking. While most wine historians view this story as pure legend, there is archaeological evidence that wine was known and extensively traded by the early Persian kings. I included this thinking what a cool little tale to tell when drinking your next glass of wine :-)

Whichever is your beverage of preference, I leave you with this quote:

"The wines that one best remembers are not necessarily the finest that one has ever tasted, and the highest quality may fail to delight so much as some far more humble beverage drunk in more favorable surroundings."
- H. Warner Allen -

Sources include Wikipedia and Ask.com