Standage's Wine Chapter Summary

Wine has also impacted the world in many ways. If wine hadn 't been invented or discovered we would not have vineyard farming today. Wine was a very popular drink during the Roman and Grecian era. In fact wine was the main drink. Greek and Roman men would have get togethers called symposia. The sophisticated, formal, and intellectual atmosphere of the symposion reminded the Greeks of how civilized they were. It reminded that they weren 't just there to drink wine, they were there to discuss many things as well. Wine

Wine has been a part of Western history since the Neolithic Period (8,500-4,000 B.C.), when cultures first started to develop permanent communities, and stopped being nomadic hunter-gatherers (U. Penn, 2000). One of the earliest written records of the consumption of wine is recorded in the Bible and the impact of wine on Mediterranean cultures became more pronounced over the years as the geopolitical situation stabilized in the region under the Roman Empire. Roman Imperialism helped to spread the production of wine across most of the countries in the Empire, which included most of North Africa and Southern Europe (Britannica, 2000). During that same era, wine became ingrained in the Christian faith and is still used in Christian mass today. The close tie between wine and the Christian faith aided to the spread of wine production and wine consumption across Europe

People used wine to show that they are successful and have a higher social status ranking than others, leaving the ones who weren't wealthy and unsuccessful without wine. This began the first socially/economically divided empires. It was used in religious ceremonies, and used medicinally to heal wounds.

Tom Standage’s A History of the World in Six Glasses discusses the importance of six beverages (beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, Coca-Cola), each of which define distinctive periods of civilization. The comparably minor, yet crucial role of water is also represented in support of Standage’s argument regarding not only the necessity of each drink as a requisite to life, but also the role of each drink as a stimulus for cultural diffusion and development. Various historical developments, ranging from water purification to convivia, are utilized to depict each beverage’s appeal and the contributions of each drink towards its respective era of prosperity, subsequently illustrating various historical themes that mark the progression of society

The exact time when beer was created is unknown, but was common in the Near East by 4000 BCE. With the discovery of beer, came an increase in the importance of cereal grains, and the argument that the discovery is a key factor in society’s adoption of agriculture, the point at which history begins approach modern times. One of the explanations for this change is, “once beer had been discovered, and its consumption had become socially and ritually important, there was a greater desire to ensure the availability of grain by deliberate farming” (Standage 21). The next drink Standage decided was a significant piece of history was wine, which is presented through a review of early Greece and Rome. An important point that Standage noted was the apparent split in social classes seen with the introduction of wine. “At the time, one shekel of silver per month was regarded as the minimum wage, so wine could only have become an everyday drink among the very rich” (Standage 50). In addition, wine was also associated with religion, long distance trading, and geography. Standage moves on to the colonial period using spirits as vessel through which to discuss the era. Connections from spirits are made to exploration, the slave trade, and the American revolution. Standage makes the case that spirits was the first globally ubiquitous drink that affected many aspects at the time. “Unlike beer, which was

As a result of the Neolithic Revolution, ‘the ability to store grain began to encourage people to stay in one place” (18) , causing there to be a food surplus. Years later, this surplus of food in societies like Ancient Egypt, expanded to the point that beer had become such a commodity, even “ workers who built the pyramids were paid in beer” (37). Mesopotamia also adopted beer as a form of currency “ taxes in the form of grain and other goods were presented at the temple and were redistributed to fund public works” (33) . Beer even helped develop one of the first forms of writing called cuneiform in which “ Sumerian wage lists and tax receipts” were documented (30). This showed that beer had evolved from just being staple foodstuffs. It had become a way of a convenient form of payment. Wine, unlike beer was expensive in the beginning therefore, it was more valuable than beer. Wine production eventually increased and so did long-distance trade. Maritime trade had increased to the point that it was cheaper to transport over long distance. This meant that there were fewer borders to cross, which resulted in “ fewer taxes and tolls there were to pay” (42). This resulted in Roman wine makers “ shipping their own wine” (58) after dominating Greek wine trade. Wine’s importance in Greek islands was clear by “ the appearance of wine-related imagery on Greek coins” (45) Wine had become so accessible that even the lower class drank

It was exotic and expensive. The author says “So fine was the calibration of wine with status that drinkers at a Roman banquet, or convivium, would be served different wines depending on their positions in society.” The richest drank the finest wines while poorer citizens drank lesser vintages and so on the social ladder. Wine was also religious. Wine influence on the history of the society started in ancient Greece, wine became the main export of a vast seaborne trade, helping to spread Greek culture abroad. It was a form of currency. I agree with the author’s assessment on the impact of wine. I agree because without wine it probably wouldn’t been involved with religious activities unless it was discovered later down the

He adopts an admireful and storytelling tone with the help of illustrative diction that makes learning history engaging and fun. He states, “...wine was first produced during the Neolithic period, between 9000 and 4000 BCE, in the Zagros Mountains in the region that roughly corresponds to modern Armenia and northern Iran”. Then, in seventh century BCE, wine cultivation emerged. Standage explains the drink clearly and thoroughly by explaining that the possibility of wine became possible in Greece as a result of the presecnce of the wild Eurasian grape vine, the availiability of cereal crops that provided year-round food reserves for wine-making communities, and the invention of pottery. Also, Standage states, “...the climate and terrain of the Greek islands and mainland were ideal for

At the same time, it shows how the world progresses. For example, wine was thought to be a drink for the noble and for the mighty; only high-ranking members of the hierarchy were able to drink wine, such as educated men in Greek symposiums. Soon enough, wine became more available and was then drunk by the masses, instead of beer; even slaves ended up drinking wine. However, wine still made the clear distinction between those who were powerful and those who were not—the most prestigious individuals drunk the rarest and heaviest wines while the least prestigious such as the slaves drunk light and putrid wine. This shows the development of social structures and the progress of history as there were now clearly-marked different social classes that would influence the world for years to come. I decided to choose this example because I always thought that the drinking of wine meant one was wealthy, but I found out it was more influential than I thought, and although it was drunk by the wealthy, it was also quite omnipresent among different

A great example that has already been previously stated was the use of wine in the Roman social system. In addition I liked the American Revolution story being tied in so closely with spirits. It was interesting to hear the things textbooks reference put into the frame of beverages, such as taxation without representation was tied to the American desire for more spirits because of the tax on molasses. The best example is how wine in Greek culture was shared out of a communal vase. I have already brought this up before but when you think of a Greek vase what do you think of? I immediately think of the mostly black vases with the intricate red-orange designs on them. This is the type of vase that wine would’ve been mixed in and gave me an interesting perspective on Greek

In one of his most accomplished works, Plato brings to light the topic of alcohol and the significance of drinking in The Symposium. Through this text, Plato is writing about philosophy is the setting of a narrative in order to reinforce the context of the story. Plato was a metaphilosophist that supported the theory of forms. He believed that understanding pure form, achieving true wisdom, is something that cannot be defined or reduced to words, and all people should strive to understand pure form. The main symbol in The Symposium, is wine, a representation of wisdom. Throughout the narrative, the characters drink at a constant place. Having the wine allows for the men to open up and share their ideas on love, as the characters try and

The Romans drank a lot of wine but not straight or quickly. “Diluting wine and drinking with restraint were ordinary courtesy. The purpose of a dinner party was relaxed

Because, the population in Rome grew widely demand for wine increased greatly.The Romans loved their wine so much they drank it with just about every meal. Sense

After reading Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, I became more aware of the magic of summer and what it means to truly live. The novel gave me a new perspective of thee idea that life is like summer where you’re alive and feel free, but how it sadly doesn't last forever. The novel opened me up to the idea of looking at person’s mental age instead of their physical age. The novel follows the path of Douglas, a twelve-year-old boy living in Green Town, Illinois. In the novel, Douglas strives to enjoy his summer and to live his life to its fullest. In his adventuring, he becomes more aware of the nature of the world and tries to make sense of life and death. At the same time, Douglas sees people as “machines” that serve a

This case describes the global development of wine industry, and how new world wine players occupied the global market share from old world wine producer gradually. It is very interesting that author selected the Britain as the sample stage for the battle between the new world wine campaign and the traditional campaign.