Wine as a TRADEABLE COMMODITY

WINE AS A TRADEABLE COMMODITY

Pariwesh Kumar

• “Despite all the Genetic Engineering of our food these days WINE remains Deeply Connected with its Land.”

- Robert Mondavi

(Californian vintner)

• Wine has always been a tradable commodity, trade came in existence from the beginning of 1600 B.C.

• Greeks are considered as the first producers of various wines as well as the first traders.

• Greek wines could be found in location as diverse as France, Ezypt, around the Black sea and in the Denube region.

• Ancient Greek wine trade

• A large bulke of wine carried along the Mediterranean coasts by the means of wrecked ships.

• One ship generally carried 6-7 gallon earth ware jars that would have contained as much as 66,000gallons of wines.

• Per year trade through the port ‘ MERSEILLES’ was about 2.2 million gallons.

• From the fifth century Europe was developing as the biggest hub for wine trading as consumption was increasing vigorously

• It was considered as the golden era for wine trade

• The wine was deeply involved in all social and religious aspects, ritual use of wine was an important consideration of its trade development.

• Wine trade was growing to Southern and Eastern England, the low countries and Scandinavia.

• By the early stages of twelfth century there was a huge development of large scale trades in both luxury and low status goods in Gascony, Northern France and the Rhine valley.

• In the coming years england was the biggest consumer of wines..infact they became wine dependent, it encourages the wine trade and production in europe.

• Seventeenth century came with involvement of politics into the wine trade. It changes the form of trade and due to political conflicts between England and France, England discovered a great love for ‘Port’.

• Exploration, conquest and settlement brought wine to Mexico, Argentina and South Africa.

• Now the wine has penetrated almost all part of world.

Wine trade was not only involved with cash flow

• Wine trade not only brought wine from Greek but they carried Greek culture and civilization as they were indifferent part of wines.

• Romans shown a great interest in the greek way of living and their love for vitiviniculture ; resulted in their major contributions in classifying varieties, colours, observing and charting ripening characteristics, identifying diseases and recognizing soil type preferences.

• Roman sociatiy got major changes in the way of living, wine trade had shown significant effects on their religious and cultural beliefs.

• Education system accepted the winiculture as a specific part of.

• Monasteries played a vital role in expanding the wine science to grater extents. They were the forefront in developing new techniques in vitiviniculture.

• European writers paid attention to the quality of wines. They gave particular value to colour, body and sweetness.

• In the very first century Pliny provided a catalogue of wines included ninety one varieties of vine, fifty kinds of quality wines and thirty eight varieties of foreign wines

• Simultaneously medical beliefs also came in the existence .

• Served as relevant for Gastric and Eurological problems .

• Cato recommended its effectiveness for constipation,snakebite,got,in

Medical beliefs• Simultaneously medical beliefs also came in the existence .

• Served as relevant for Gastric and Urological problems .

• Cato recommended its effectiveness for constipation ,snakebite, got, indigestion and even Diarrhea.

barrel Maturation and ageing

• Initially amphorae and wooden barrels used for wine trade and transportation

• Discovery of wooden barrels as a best ageing equipment changed the wine trading.

• Wine was not only treated as tradable commodity but as a better mode of long term investment.

REFERENCES• Topic: WINE AS A TEADEABLE COMMODITY•  • REFERENCES•  • Jhonson, Hugh.(1998). Wine companion. London:Michell Beazley• Jhonson, Hugh.• Michael Hall, C.,Sharples, Liz, Cambourne, Brook, Macionis, Niki( ). Wine tourism around the world:•  • 101 Wine history.mht professional friend of wine.Retrived July29,2010,from http://www.answers.com• Wine from classical time to the 19th century.Retrived July29,2010, from • Medieval wine trade.Retrived July30,2010,from www.amajon.com• All about Greek wines.RetrivedAugust 1,2010,from http://www.wikipedia.com• Greek wine history:Ancient Greek .Retrived August 1,2010,from http://www.unrv.com• History of French wines,Retrived August2,from http://www.thewinedoctor.com•  • Some other wabesites I have used are• www.decanter.com• www.winespectator.com• www.cuisine.com• www.winetitles.com.au• www.greekwinemakers.com •