Disappearing line

If we consider the wondrous happenstance that led to the discovery of wine, it is easy to understand why people long held the belief that wine was a gift directly from the gods. Wine was totally mystifying: it could render a person faint from its carbon dioxide; it could make one feel good, and maybe even amorous. It is little wonder some ancient civilizations created gods in honour of wine. To this day, wine is symbolic within the Christian faiths. With this perception of privileged origins, however, wine became restricted to the wealthy and the temple priests and priestesses. Wine, in many ways, defined the ancient civilizations—each produced wines reflecting the needs of the nobles and the temples.

On the other hand, beer was consumed by the general population in the same manner that we might drink a glass of water. This is not surprising, since the water supply to the great ancient cities was always suspect as a carrier of germs and disease. Beer held no magical illusions: you could make it at home by mashing grain; it simply required manual labour. Beer had no place of honour as did wine in the ancient writings and scrolls such as Homer’s Odyssey, which told of wild vines that grew on the island of Cyclops without the need of man’s hand. Generations of schoolchildren suffered to decipher, translate and conjugate these ancient Greek texts. But did they ever have homework about hops or barley?

There has always been a dividing line between beer and wine. That line, however, is becoming thinner and thinner, as beer drinkers discover the benefits of a glass of wine—and wine drinkers are refreshed by a cold frosty brew in the high heat of summer. For far too long, wine was the realm of the entitled and beer was for the disadvantaged. With today’s equal access to wine, spirits and beer, nothing can keep us from enjoying either of them depending on our mood.

And, although a glass of wine, whisky or beer is good for the system, the opposite side of that coin shows that excess is detrimental. “Enjoy everything in moderation” should be today’s battle cry.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
Earlier this summer, I visited Dave Gillingham at his winery, Domaine Darius, on Wilson Rd. The defeat of Darius’ invasion of Greece was reported by messengers running from the battle site of Marathon to their home in Athens—that distance is the same used for today’s marathons.

I considered myself fortunate to snag a bottle of his 1679 post-dinner, port-style wine, created as a tribute to Newman’s port house in Newfoundland. I don’t know if there is any left, but I do recommend that you put yourself on a list for future wine of this style. In fact, keep an eye open for all his small, handcrafted wines.

It’s worth a call to Domaine Darius, if only to secure next year’s treats