Wine and Culture: How Wine Has Shaped Art and History

If there is one factor that has really influenced human history, then it has to be wine! Wine, booze, spirits, and alcohol have started wars, caused humankind to spread, and have built up a lot of empires and industries in the world. So here’s what you need to know about how wine has shaped art, history, and the entire world as we know it.

The Early History Of Wine

Wine has been around for as far back as the Mesopotamian Era, where people are constantly making and serving wine to the rulers, kings, and queens of the day. In those older images, wine is offered to the Gods as well. Several drawings and artifacts show wine being made and in some cultures such as the Greeks and Romans, they actually used wine in religious rituals and they even had a God of wine and revelry.

Eventually, the Romans began to industrialize wine and had the first vineyards where people went and grew wine. However, while farmers and craftsmen grew and created the wine, its enjoyment was strictly for the wealthy. That’s why you see all the senators drinking wine whenever you look at an oil painting from acclaimed artists!

What Happened After Rome Fell?

Once the Roman Empire fell, the consumption of wine fell with it until the Middle Ages. With fresh and clean water as a commodity, and very hard to come by, wine’s health benefits made it a matter of life and death to drink, not just for the wealthy but also for the poor. As the era of the Renaissance came along, wine stopped being drunk for its health benefits and it was instead drunk for the flavor.

Now people were drinking wine for the taste, for social and leisure reasons, and more and more vineyards were created to keep up with demand. Around that time wine has really become what it is like now, where it is available to everyone and a lot of different flavors are available to sample. Plus, there were plenty of bars and taverns to drink at!

All across history, from the discovery of the new world to the 20th century, wine has not only continued to become much more popular, but it is also the driver of a ton of events. It’s really amazing to crack open the story of wine and see just how many stories it was a part of.

What About Wine In Art?

Wine has been depicted in art as long as it has been around, and it typically shares the same meaning across all their depictions. Wine had signaled taste, class, courtship, and the divine, especially because in the early art depictions those of high class were always drinking wine. Wine has also been used in countless religious paintings because of the significance of wine, especially in the Christian religion.

Finally wine has also been linked to, and has been shown to be an earthy substance of celebration, where wine is drunk in celebration for harvest festivals and other parties. Chances are if you see a party going on in a painting, then the partygoers are drinking wine!

Wine Has Shaped The World And Will Continue To Do So

Wine has been around since the first human decided to crush up grapes and see what happened when they fermented it. With over 3,000 years on this planet, you can bet that wine will continue to stick around and lead to plenty of events happening in the world in the future. So make sure to drink responsibility and see what events wine is going to shape for you!