The Cradle of Wine

PREVIOUS TASTINGS ARCHIVE – JUNE 2021

The history of wine stretches back at least 8,000 years and in this unique and fascinating tasting we will focus on the birthplace of wine, and some of the countries, grapes and civilisations that have acted as its nursery over the centuries.

For that, we must turn first to the Caucasus, the region that lies between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, including the countries of Georgia and Armenia, both of which make credible claims to being the true ‘cradle of wine’. We’ll look at the wine history of both and what lies behind their claims, as well as tasting a wine from each: a classic red Saperavi from Georgia and, from Armenia, a blend of two historic varieties, Kangun and Rkatsiteli, a crunchy and fresh white wine.

How wine and winemaking spread from this region was down to the great ancient civilisations who traded and conquered other lands. The Phoenicians were a people living just a little further west, in the Levant around present day Lebanon and Israel, so we’ll be stopping there too, tasting a wine from the mountain vineyards of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, and a Syrah from Israel’s Judean Mountains.

The Greeks and Romans played a vital role in developing wine, so we will taste a fabulous sweet wine from the island of Samos, made from late-harvest Muscat grapes grown just off of the Turkish Coast. The Romans spread winemaking throughout the Meditterranean and beyond, so our final stop is in Romania, once the Roman province of Dacia Traiana, where Roman culture once flourished. We taste one of Romania’s indigenous white varieties, the Feteasca Regala.

This should be an absorbing and educational tasting, but of course never forgetting that we are here to discover delicious and surprising wines.

The Wines

Paparuda, Feteasca Regala , Feteasca Regala (Romania)
Yerevan, Kangun/Rkatsiteli (Armenia)
Massaya, Le Colombier Red (Lebanon)
Kahreba, Saperavi (Georgia)
Clos de Gat, Har’el Syrah (Israel)
Vinicoles Samos, Samos Grand Cru (Greece)

You will be taken to the wine purchase page once you have bought your tasting ticket.

We look forward to welcoming you to this session.