Class Lectures--not sequential!   

Wine has been a part of society since prehistory. And it is still regulated, organized and controlled at many levels of society Yep--it all comes back to politics--the science of people! This is among the oldest texts we have. And it concerns wine service. Even then, misleading labels were a problem. The great philosopher He was found guilty of “impiety” and “corrupting the young” , sentenced to death, and then required to carry out his own execution by consuming a deadly

Wine holds a special place in the world. In every country where it is made, wine plays a role far more important than a mere beverage,...

Babylonia, Sumer, et. alia The original vines of prehistory were vitis sylvestris and vitis vinifera. The ancient peoples in the Caucasus must have had an impact on these vines, because we can see how they have “evolved” over millennia. These early people selected the vines for their ability to grow a large crop of grapes. We still see the effects of this today. And if you find a wild grapevine grown from seed, you will note that it rarely has much fruit. Grapevines are pro

Dionysus, God of Wine: In the legend of Dionysus, the god came from Lydia, as did the skill of the winemaker. The Dionysian tradition...

Friends, Romans, and Countrymen--which was Shakespeare, not Roman While the Greeks were likely to drink wine at a Symposium, the Romans drank wine with food. Although they certainly had wild drinking parties, the center of their social life was the dinner party, not the Symposium. They took great delight in the joys of the table, and this included wine in all its forms. They drank cool wine in the summer, and warm wine in the winter, and enjoyed beautifully decorated wine ves

From the Fall of Rome to the Black Death--1000 years of Darkness? A thousand years of darkness? Well, yes and no. By the time the Roman Empire fell apart, things were quite bleak. There was no Pax Romana, which means that political and social stability were hard to find. There were no Roman legions to enforce the rigidly structured society of Rome. It wasn’t that the German barbarians destroyed this social order—the collapse of Rome created a vacuum of power and social str

Wine and the Renaissance What was the Renaissance? Literally, a rebirth--re- naissance, So a rebirth of what, exactly?When we look back on the Renaissance, it was an explosion of art, philosophy and so much more. But rally understand the Renaissance, we have to start in the Middle Ages. Remember them? So after the fall of Rome, let's pick up the story again. It most of Europe, the Goths, Vandals, and Huns had overrun the continent, and established themselves in various

A History of Medicine: 2000 B.C. - "Here, eat this root." 1000 A.D. - "That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer." 1850 A.D. - "That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion." 1940 A.D. - "That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill." 1985 A.D. - "That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic." 2000 A.D. - "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root." Egypt : Used a variety of medicinal herbs in their wines as far back as 3150 B.C. 5,000

Wine gives us a connection with the natural world---the passage of time and the turn of the seasons... Since the earliest times, the annual passage of the earth around the sun has led to a series of events in the vineyard and the winery. While they are far older than our current system of the Julian Calendar, they conveniently fit into a month by month chart of the work to be done, and the milestones to be celebrated. January: Traditionally, pruning began on St. Vincent's D

In the beginning... Wine was fermented in open top fermenters and stored in sealed clay jars. The youngest wine was the best, because the wine began to oxidize almost immediately unless you added resin or some other substance to help protect it. Young wine was good, and light, fresh wines were probably tastiest. And consumed quickly—because it spoiled easily and quickly And then Julius Caesar invaded Gaul...and discovered the barrel. Barrels The history of barrels in wine

Great quotes about wine in addition to these materials, the class will listen to a recording of Roald Dahl's short story Taste and discuss it. WINE QUOTES I like best the wine drunk at the cost of others. Diogenes the Cynic (Greek philosopher c. 412 BC) No poem was ever written by a drinker of water. Horace (Roman poet & satirist 65BC - 8BC) In wine there is truth. Pliny the Elder (Roman Scholar 23 - 79) Wine seems to have the power of attracting friendship, warmin

The rest of the world: Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa/Islam-China, Japan, and Polynesia, Banana Beer In addition to a class lecture, we will also watch the film Tampopo and discuss the relationship of food, wine and society as presented in the film. Man's way to God is with beer in hand. --Koffyar Tribal Wisdom, Nigeria China The origins of fermenting and drinking wine in China go far back in time. It has always been recognized and used as a celebratory drink. The ancient

Because this lecture is so dependent upon visual images, there is not text to follow. However, there are a few key themes that we explore in this class: >> Wine imagery as an inspiration to artists, with subject matter from Dionysus and Bacchus to the wine bottle and the still life. >> The symbol of the harvest, and wine as a metaphor for the richness of the Earth. >> Commercial wine art as a way of promoting the product. >> Art and design as a way of telling the story

Wine and the Service Ritual It’s one of the great fears of modern life:You are in a fine dining restaurant, and the sommelier approaches the table.At this point many people are terrified of what happens next.But there’s really no reason to be nervous. In this lecture I’ll talk you through the ritual of wine service step by step, and explain the background of each step, from ordering the wine, to opening the bottle, to that perilous little taste the sommelier pours for your co

Festivals are a celebration of the community--a chance to share our identity with each other and the world. In the USA we don't have a lot of festivals of this kind. Certainly Mardi Gras in New Orleans is one, but most of our festivals celebrate on segment of our community, St. Patrick's Day, Gay Pride Day, Columbus Day, rather than the whole community. What would a Napa Festival look like--one that was joined and enjoyed by everyone in the community? Here are a few festiv

This is a live interaction class only. Students are expected to present one of the wines to the class as part of their course work. To give you an idea of what we might taste in this class, I have provided a list of wines tasted in 2012: 1992 Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Brut Champage 2010 Domaine FL "Le Chenin" Anjou Blanc 1997 Domaine Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2000 Joseph Drouhin Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2009 Domaine Jean Grivot Echezeaux Grand C

Wine has been a part of religious ceremonies since before history began. And it continues to play a role in sacred ceremonies today. If religion is the expression of spiritual belief, then wine has been a part of that since long before history. Most religions bring people into a sense of communion, of relaxation, of celebration: a time to forget the every day cares of the world, and give ourselves to a vision of a greater existence. We stop our every day world, and we t

This lectures depends enormously on combining the lecture itself with musical selections. Without these selections, the lecture has little impact. But that said, here is the text of the slides themselves. My two classes, A Cultural Appreciation of Wine, and Wine Marketing & Sales Both address this topic from different directions: Music is marketed very differently from wine---and very successfully Wine is part of our culture, and the culture of humans since before his