here are few experiences that match the sight, smell, and taste of a glass of wine. English philosopher Francis Bacon wrote in Wisdom of the Ancients (1609), that “Of all things known to mortals wine is the most powerful and effectual for exciting and inflaming the passions of mankind, being common fuel to them all.” Legendary comedian Groucho Marx got right to the heart of the matter when he quipped, “I shall drink no wine before it's time! OK, it's time.”
Most people know how they feel about their favorite bottle of vino, but the luscious, pressed grape's history isn't as widely known. There are some intriguing overviews of the industry, such as Hugh Johnson's The Story of Wine, and others publications have concentrated on narrower historical periods—Don and Petie Kladstrup's Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure, for example.
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