The Origins of Wine Civilization

A very special and unique conference entitled "The Origins of Wine Civilization - An Exploration of Ancient Wines and their Evolution" was held on March 13, 2016 at the San Francisco Wine School in South San Francisco. The school was Founded by Master Sommelier David Glancy, and is the largest wine school in the country offering the most thorough approach to wine study. The conference featured fourteen national and international experts in two separate panels hosted and moderated by Journalist, Author, and Marketer, David Furer. Our very own Darrell Corti was part of the Eastern Mediterranean panel. The presentations during the day were a very comprehensive learning experience, which is shared for you in this blog. Armenia, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Turkey were all represented in the conference.

Here is a link to the SFWS website - www.sanfranciscowineschool.com

First to speak was Dr. Patrick McGovern. He is the Scientific Director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Project for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages, and Health at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia. His Keynote speech was: The Archaeological and Chemical hunt for the Origins of Viticulture: Past, Present, and Future.

Here is a link to information about Patrick and what he does. http://www.penn.museum/sites/biomoleculararchaeology

At the conclusion of Dr. McGovern's talk, the Caucasus panel discussion and guided tasting began. Jeff Berlin, manager/wine director of À Côté, spoke first about wine from the Republic of Georgia. Here is a link to the À Côté website - www.acoterestaurant.com

Second to speak, via Skype from downtown Tbilisi, Georgia , was Lisa Granik MW. She furthered conversation about the wines of Georgia.

Here is a link to Lisa's website - www.tastingworks.com

The second part of the Caucasus Panel discussion focused on Armenia. Speaking during this segment were;

Zorik Gharibian, Founder of Zorah Winery, Armenia, and Alberto Antonini, Winemaker at Zorah Winery, Armenia - www.zorahwines.com

Paul Hobbs, Winemaker, Yacoubian-Hobbs Wines, Armenia - www.paulhobbs.com

Robert Michero, Managing Director LAC - Carlo Products - lacproducts.com

Half of the event had now concluded , so it was time for lunch. We adjourned the conference room and made our way into a neighboring room filled with a multi-ethnic buffet of middle eastern cuisine. Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel were represented in the buffet. The luncheon was sponsored by Meritaj, Inc. - meritaj.com

The dishes were well prepared making lunch quite delicious. After some mingling, everyone went back to the conference room for the second half presentations.

First to speak, after lunch was, Dr. Patrick Hunt, Archeologist, Writer, Stanford University. Dr. Hunt's speech: The Civilization of Wine from the Phoenicians to the Egyptians & Canaanites.

Here is a link to Dr. Hunt's website - www.patrickhunt.net

Dr. Hunt's presentation was certainly quite animated and filled with many unique ancient historical perspectives.

Next up was the Eastern Mediterranean Panel discussion and guided tasting, which focused on Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, and Turkey. Speaking during this

segment were;

Bartholomew Broadbent - Importer Chateau Musar, Lebanon - www.chateaumusar.com

Fadi Batarseh - Manager Agronomical Sector Cremisan Wine Estate, Palestine - www.cremisan.org

Joel Butler, MW - www.mastersofwine.org

Daniel O'Donnell - Winemaker Kayra Winery, Turkey - kayrawines.com

Darrell Corti - President Corti Brothers - cortibrothers.com

This concluded the presentation portion of the conference. Now it was time for the finale.

The Grand Tasting was the final treat of the event. It was held in the same room as the luncheon. Well over fifty wines from Armenia, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Turkey were poured for the guests. It was the perfect ending to a fantastic day of learning. Guests had the opportunity to speak to the panel members, importers, and other guests while enjoying the truly unique wines.

The Origins of Wine Civilization - An Exploration of Ancient Wines and their Evolution was an incredible success. We don't tend think of wine the way it was in ancient times, in the beginning of its history. This event definitely opened both eyes and taste buds to the thought how diverse wine truly is. We all left the San Francisco Wine School enlightened to the possibilities of modern wine from ancient roots.