666. Wine and the Birth of Civilisation
Summary
Dominic and Tom explore the 8,000-year history of wine, from its origins in Georgia and Armenia to its role in Roman expansion and Islamic culture. They discuss how wine fueled Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, the theological debates surrounding alcohol in the Islamic world, and the English invention of strong glass bottles that enabled the sparkling wine industry.
Topics discussed
Introduction and sponsor messages
Pliny the Elder and the origins of wine culture
Ancient wine: Bible, Georgia, and Greek mythology
Roman expansion and wine as a tool of empire
Wine in the Middle Ages and Islamic world
English glassmaking and the invention of the corkscrew
Bordeaux classifications and the concept of terroir
The Judgment of Paris and modern wine history
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