Author: James McNally

Book Review: Ancient Wine

Ancient Wine [cover image]

Review

Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture, by Patrick E. McGovern. (Princeton University Press, 365 pages, 2003). $42.00.

Have you ever wondered how the human race figured out how to ferment grapes into a liquid that gives us such profound pleasure? Patrick McGovern did, and his years of archaeological and historical research have led him to some interesting conclusions in this fascinating book.

One of the more interesting research experiments recounted in the book is McGovern’s attempt to recreate (through molecular archaeology) the beverage served at a feast held by King Midas almost 3,000 years ago. Partnering with a local microbrewer, McGovern came up with something quite unique: “not a beer, not a mead, not a wine—but a combination of all three, with layers of muscat aroma and a saffron taste that caught at the back of your throat and drew you back for more.” The beverage was served at a recreation of the feast in September 2000, and was even marketed commercially as “Midas Touch.”

McGovern’s stringently scientific approach may be a little dry for some, but the combination of history, archaeology, philology and even chemistry makes his conclusions all the more compelling. This meticulously-researched book is a rich resource for anyone curious about the mystery of wine’s origins.

New Book Reviews

As part of my day job, I write book reviews for our email newsletter. Rather than have these disappear into everyone’s Deleted Items, I’ve decided to post them here as well. I hope you enjoy them, and please feel free to leave your comments.

Christmas Cheer and Cheese

Last night, we hosted about a dozen friends for an informal Christmas get-together. Since we were opening up some wine, I went in search of some interesting cheeses to pair with them. Though I love cheese, I have to admit that I’m no expert. I went with the recommendations of the helpful guy at Alex Farms. He helped me pick out three cheeses for our party, none of which I’ve ever had before, but now I’m hooked. Here’s what we had:

  • Langres – this was a soft and rather pungent cheese, and it went well with our sparkling cava and the other white wines. It is actually made in the Champagne region of France.
  • Fougerus – another soft cheese from the Brie family, wrapped with a fern leaf, giving it a distinctive flavour. Good with our red wines.
  • Mimolette – a very distinctive looking cheese, with a hard outer rind. This is a northern French cheese closely based on Dutch Edam. The wheel of cheese looked like a cross-section of canteloupe, with a bright orange colour. Very dry and tangy, like very old cheddar. My favourite, especially with bold red wines.

I was in charge of both the wine and cheese, while Brooke was in charge of the sweets. Ask me about how the cookie budget actually surpassed the wine budget this year…

With Distinction

Back in the fall, my work buddy Brian and I enrolled in the Intermediate course offered by the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, a UK-based organization that offers certificate and diploma programmes on the way to the prestigious Master of Wine designation.

Each week, for eight weeks, we swirled, sniffed, and sipped wines, taking copious (or not so copious) tasting notes. We learned about each of the major wine regions of the world, and learned a methodical process of tasting and describing what we’d tasted. At the end of the eight weeks, we wrote an exam.

Though the course is offered through the local Independent Wine Education Guild, here in Toronto, the tests had to be sent back to Jolly Old England to see if we tipsy colonists had passed muster. Today, I was proud to receive in the mail my very first wine certification, the “WSET Level 2 Intermediate Certificate in Wines, Spirits and Other Alcoholic Beverages.” The best part? Since I scored 96%, they printed “Pass with Distinction” on my certificate.

The next level, the Advanced certificate, is being offered in January, but I know it will be much tougher. It’s 14 weeks long, and the exam contains a tasting component. Though my head is now chock-full of wine knowledge, I still consider myself the owner of a wobbly set of tastebuds. I have much more tasting (and spitting, if I know what’s good for me!) ahead, so I think I’ll wait until next fall to take the next level.