Heritage Lost

A cellar door environment is such an amazing place to meet a diversity of people. In a place like the Hunter Valley you are  always likely to meet people who work in the mining industry and those that you meet a most likely to be at a relatively high level in the organisation.

Discussion almost always politely leads towards the balance of mining and agriculture. Sometimes I am cheeky enough to discuss environmental rehabilitation programs; always a favourite, because of course as soon as you discuss water table protection and soil profile you get a change of subject - heritage lost.

The Hunter Valley is a place of heritage lost from many different perspectives as I am certain many of the Dairy Industry could tell you. From a miners perspective, there is much money being spent to demonstrate that co-habitation with agriculture is viable long term; go to the NSW Miners Page for more information.

The corporate raiders who make decisions on our lifestyle come from many different fronts and many different eras. For a look at wine rationalization during the 20th century one only needs to look at the treatment of the Lindemans name by companies like the cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris, followed by corparate winemakers, Southcorp.

This story is best articulated by the "Best Wine Under $20" webpage; the article is titled "Death by a Thousand Cuts".

And to finish on a positive note, heritage is never lost when passionate families get behind their own region and invest for the long term. There is a no better example of this than the Tyrrell family, headed by Bruce Tyrrell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz_084MGzPM.

Alternate Grape Varieties

                       

Of all the subjects on wine that I have researched over the years, this paraphrased article from the 1st Century AD historian Pliny The Elder proves one thing. As humans, we remember little and we learn from nothing. Harsh, but please humour my little academic exercise in what are alternative wine varieties.

                        I cannot sufficiently express my astonishment, that some  

                        grape varieties and even their names have become totally 

                        extinct, and lost to history; while some varieties written 

                        about by various authors, have wholly disappeared from

                        modern production.

                       Despite the loss of these ancient varieties, who does not 

                       readily admit that with modern communication methods 

                       we have made a rapid progress in access to an incredible 

                       array of new alternative wine styles and varieties to enjoy? 

                       Pliny The Elder - Natural History Encyclopedia (79 AD)

                     

CHAP. 1 —THE NATURE OF THE VINE. ITS MODE OF FRUCTIFICATION.

Pliny The Elder - Wikipedia

One of the most well known wine quotes of Pliny is the phrase "In Vino Veritas" which is often translated to "in wine there is truth". Another translation which is perhaps more accurate and perhaps intended is, "Drinking wine leads to the truth".