Although the primary purpose of wine is pleasure, it certainly has other uses. From ancient times it was used to treat wounds inflicted in battle – a practice carried right through to the Middle Ages. Also from ancient times wine was often prescribed as a medicine. This practice continues as the remarkably positive effects of wine consumption in moderation (particularly on the heart) become ever clearer.
But wine has become so entrenched in so many cultures that it has also played a significant role in world history. In ancient Persia the rulers would make important decisions while drunk on wine. To be fair, they would review these decisions while sober, but conversely any decision made sober was reviewed while drunk. Though the wisdom in this is questionable, to say the least, there is no doubt that wine played a part in the machinations (for better or worse) of this massive empire.
In 1478 Edward IV ruled England. Edward and his brother Richard found out that their brother George was guilty of treason. The penalty for treason was not a pleasant one – to be hung, drawn and quartered. Of course their mother begged her two sons not to inflict such a barbaric punishment on their brother, so another method of dispatching George needed to be found. Luckily Richard remembered a conversation with George in which George had stated that when his time came he could think of no better way to go than to drown in wine. So Richard and Edward had him drowned in a vat of Malmsey. Malmsey is a sweet white wine popular in 15th century England and made from a Greek variety known as Malvasia. That said, this particular vat was much more likely to have come from Spain.
But the wine connection goes much further than that. When Edward fell ill in 1483 Richard saw a chance to seize power. To do this he had his two nephews, who were legitimately ahead in line of Richard, imprisoned in the tower. He then hired an assassin to murder the princes. The assassin's name was James Tyrrell.
This is significant for two reasons. The family owned Hunter Valley winery, Tyrrell's (est. 1858), claim James Tyrrell as an ancestor. Tyrrell's are the pioneers of Chardonnay in Australia and produce arguably the world's best Semillon.
Richard, now Richard III, was the last of the Planagenet kings. In 1975 Planagenet Wines in Mount Barker was born. It was founded by Tony Smith who claims to descend from the Plantagenet line.
Wine continued to influence British politics through the 20th century. One of England's great heroes, Winston Churchill, was a great lover of Champagne. In particular he loved Pol Roger. In fact he drank a bottle every day. He once said of it, "In victory, deserve it; in defeat, need it."
In honour of Sir Winston Churchill, Pol Roger released the Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill in 1975. It is made in the very style Churchill loved: robust, structured and mature. Like the man himself.
Stephen Thomson is a Senior Wine Educator with The Wine Society.
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