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[upbeat music playing]
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[Jim]
Wine is so deeply fascinating.
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I love that every bottle
of wine is a piece of art
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00:00:21,439 --> 00:00:22,732
made by an artist
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who had to count
on the weather.
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As much as
we might revere a painter
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like Caravaggio, for example,
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his work
is famously hard to drink.
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When done, right,
wine is also a giving art.
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It's an industry
where the most learned people
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assist folks like me
who know almost nothing.
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[chuckles] Though, why would
anybody devote their lives
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to something like that,
it's amazing.
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So I made a documentary
about it, as anyone would.
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I made this title sequence
in my garage.
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♪
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Okay.
First question, why grapes?
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Because they're the best.
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You can make wine
out of tons of other stuff.
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It's just that thanks
to sugar content and acidity,
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no other fruit
can match grapes.
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So all of those things
mean that you know, if--
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if you went
to the engineers at MIT
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00:02:13,884 --> 00:02:15,719
and said, "We want you
to design a fruit
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that would be perfect
for making wine,"
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they would come up
with a grape.
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Grapes are so good
for fermentation
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that they do
most of the work themselves,
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which is probably
how early people figured out
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how to make
what we now call wine.
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Now, this moment
happened long ago,
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so long before writing
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and we don't know
exactly when or where.
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But the earliest
evidence suggests
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that wine was being made
as long ago
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as 6000 BCE,
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in what is now
the country of Georgia.
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They might only have intended to
keep grape juice from spoiling.
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But by keeping fermented
grape juice away from oxygen,
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they made wine
which is drinkable
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rather than vinegar,
which is less so.
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The most iconic feature of
the Georgian winemaking process
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is, well, it's the wine,
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but the second
most iconic is the kvevri.
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♪
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[Jim] The kvevri is
a magnificent piece of pottery
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made for fermenting wine.
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Like people,
each has their own character.
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To make wine in a kvevri,
you just pick your grapes,
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smash them a bit,
and then plop the whole affair,
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pips and all into the kvevri
and seal it up for six months.
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That's old school.
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That's, like, a Republic
of Georgia style of making wine
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which they still use
to this day.
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But it helps
control temperature
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when you have something
underground, it can be covered.
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But you see the clay pots
used above and underground now.
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There's a story about
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how people will sit
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00:04:01,742 --> 00:04:05,496
and sit with
their kvevris underground
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and listen to the--
listen to the wine
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00:04:07,581 --> 00:04:09,750
and the wine is gonna tell you
when it's ready to be consumed.
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00:04:10,459 --> 00:04:13,253
And then it goes around
from person to person
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whoever's making that wine,
"Let me fill my jug up."
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You know, it's--
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it's like a communal thing too,
which is cool.
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You gotta--
you gotta understand
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that wine's history
is as-- as--
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pretty much as-- as--
it's 8000 years old.
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I mean, that's, 6000 BC,
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we've been
making wines as humans.
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[Jim] Okay,
but what did it taste like?
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Yeah, I think the answer
to that question is,
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well, terrible is one thing,
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00:04:40,990 --> 00:04:43,325
but I think
it probably was concentrated
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and it wasn't filtered
or fined.
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So it was probably
pretty chunky,
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you know,
and I'm sure it was dense.
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And that's why I think
it's interesting with all--
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with--
with winemaking techniques
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that have been adapted
throughout time.
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Having bubbles remain in it,
you know, for sparkling wine,
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00:05:01,010 --> 00:05:03,554
probably made shitty wine
taste better
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because it's got bubbles in it,
you know.
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[people cheering]
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A lot of mistakes
happening, probably.
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The situation of--
of finding fruit
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00:05:10,811 --> 00:05:13,480
and putting it somewhere
and forgetting about it.
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00:05:13,522 --> 00:05:15,149
There's always--
there's been trial and error,
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00:05:15,190 --> 00:05:17,860
I guess without--
within the history of the world.
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And so someone took
the trial and they drank it.
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Though we can only guess
what early wine tasted like,
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signs do point to gross.
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I don't think
anybody would dispute that.
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I think
you're selling wine short.
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Well, at least we can agree
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that Neolithic people
did not have a strong grasp
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of the spread of contaminants,
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unlike modern people, who...
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No, never mind.
Let's go to Egypt.
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[mysterious music playing]
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Grape growing hit Egypt
in about 3000 BCE
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and the Egyptians
immediately decided
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that wine was something
they should be buried with,
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00:06:02,654 --> 00:06:06,033
which is just about
the worst excuse I ever heard
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for not opening
the last bottle in the house.
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To friendship.
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[all] To friendship.
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-Cheers.
-Oh.
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-[man] Oh, that's delightful.
-[woman] It is.
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-[man] Fantastic notes.
-I think you're right.
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It's hard to count
how quickly one bottle goes
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-when you've got five.
-I know.
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Yes, yes, uh, but the memories
will last forever.
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Yeah.
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Well, I thought
you'd be more generous
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than a three-ounce pour,
but, you know.
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[all chuckle]
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I mean, like, you know,
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we've been drinking
her out of house and home.
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We don't want
to be poor guests,
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but she gave us every bottle
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except that one
over there.
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-Oh, I see it.
-Yeah.
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00:06:43,487 --> 00:06:45,114
I mean, I could
have another, no lie.
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00:06:45,155 --> 00:06:46,824
-I mean, I could.
-I mean, I could drink
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-unlimited wine.
-Yeah.
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00:06:48,742 --> 00:06:51,995
That-- that wine,
it's-- it's terrible.
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00:06:52,037 --> 00:06:54,123
We should totally crack
that open, like, right now.
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00:06:54,164 --> 00:06:56,750
No, no, I think
we should leave that alone.
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00:06:56,792 --> 00:06:59,586
It looks just perfect
where it is
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00:06:59,628 --> 00:07:01,547
right next to my golf clubs
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00:07:01,588 --> 00:07:03,715
and a picture of me
in the first grade.
134
00:07:03,757 --> 00:07:05,509
Well, I mean, like,
it looks a little lonely
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00:07:05,551 --> 00:07:07,594
on your wine rack when
there's no other bottles there.
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00:07:07,636 --> 00:07:09,096
Just a little, you know.
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00:07:09,138 --> 00:07:10,389
I think it will look better
in my glass.
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[all chuckle] Yeah.
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00:07:12,182 --> 00:07:14,351
-We're leaving it there.
-Oh.
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00:07:14,393 --> 00:07:15,936
-Oh.
-Okay.
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00:07:17,771 --> 00:07:19,481
Well, my glass
looks a little empty.
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Last sip.
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I took
all of mine already, so...
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Listen, what's the big deal
about that bottle of wine, like?
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00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:28,282
-Exactly, what's the big deal?
-What's the big deal?
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00:07:28,323 --> 00:07:29,825
What is the big deal?
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00:07:29,867 --> 00:07:31,410
Come on, Jess,
what's the deal with the bottle?
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-What's the deal?
-What is it?
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-Tell us.
-I--
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I can't have that wine
until I'm dead.
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Couldn't we just replace it?
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No, no, no,
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I bought that one
for my death.
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[Jim]
Around the same time, 3000 BCE,
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vines were being cultivated
in Greece as well.
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Though, wine didn't
really hit it big there
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until 1000 BCE.
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That happened
because of the advent
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of something called a city.
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I think when I think of Greeks,
that's what I think of.
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It's like this, like,
what's painted on the vases,
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you know, people laying
around with-- being fed grapes
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and jugs and cherubs
carrying them around.
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00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:15,245
You know, that's what I think
of when I think of the Greeks.
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Much like today,
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early urbanites discovered
that their lives were too busy
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to allow them to ferment
their own wine.
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00:08:21,126 --> 00:08:23,045
So they bought it
from vintners
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and it soon became popular
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with all strata
of Grecian society,
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including
and most importantly, sailors
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00:08:30,594 --> 00:08:34,014
who took it with them all over
the Mediterranean and beyond.
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00:08:34,556 --> 00:08:37,392
Now, while the Greeks caught on
a little bit earlier
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in terms of spreading wine,
we have the Romans to thank.
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The Romans were to wine
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what we Americans
are to cargo shorts.
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Like the Greeks,
the Romans viewed wine
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as being for everyone
from all strata of society,
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00:08:53,408 --> 00:08:56,703
from the lowest of the low
to Caesar Augustus himself.
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00:08:57,412 --> 00:08:59,706
Water at the time
was often disgusting,
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00:08:59,748 --> 00:09:02,918
but mixing a little wine in
made it slightly more palatable
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00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:04,878
and killed off
a few nasty things
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living in the water as well.
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00:09:07,547 --> 00:09:09,049
You can just imagine
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00:09:09,091 --> 00:09:12,219
what city water
was like in 1000 BCE.
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00:09:12,261 --> 00:09:15,013
That's over 2500 years
before this,
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00:09:15,055 --> 00:09:16,640
the Trevi Fountain.
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00:09:17,099 --> 00:09:20,185
In early Rome, your best bet
for drinkable water was wine.
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00:09:21,228 --> 00:09:23,563
As a result,
the Romans took wine with them
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00:09:23,605 --> 00:09:25,274
everywhere they went,
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they planted vineyards
all over the place.
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00:09:27,276 --> 00:09:29,236
And many of those
original Roman vineyards
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still produce wine
to this day.
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00:09:34,324 --> 00:09:37,119
The only reason we know
about a lot of this stuff
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00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:39,913
is due to the efforts
of Pliny the Elder,
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00:09:39,955 --> 00:09:42,124
a Roman military commander.
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00:09:42,165 --> 00:09:45,669
Pliny spent his days working
faithfully for the empire.
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00:09:45,711 --> 00:09:47,671
But every minute
he had to himself,
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00:09:47,713 --> 00:09:50,257
he was either
studying or writing.
200
00:09:50,841 --> 00:09:53,719
It is said that Pliny
ignored his need for sleep
201
00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:55,887
because that time
could be used for writing.
202
00:09:55,929 --> 00:09:57,431
[trumpet sounding]
203
00:09:57,472 --> 00:09:59,683
He hated walking
because he couldn't walk
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00:09:59,725 --> 00:10:03,103
and write at the same time
and that he only made love
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00:10:03,145 --> 00:10:05,272
if his partner agreed
to be scrawled on
206
00:10:05,314 --> 00:10:06,481
like a piece of parchment.
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00:10:07,607 --> 00:10:09,192
Granted,
I made that last part up.
208
00:10:09,234 --> 00:10:10,902
But since I wrote it,
209
00:10:10,944 --> 00:10:13,322
I think Pliny might have
begrudgingly approved.
210
00:10:15,699 --> 00:10:17,743
Pliny wrote a lot.
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00:10:18,201 --> 00:10:20,537
But his only work
to survive through the ages
212
00:10:20,579 --> 00:10:22,331
is his natural history
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00:10:22,372 --> 00:10:24,291
in which
he attempted to describe
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00:10:24,333 --> 00:10:26,335
the entire natural world.
215
00:10:26,835 --> 00:10:30,922
Though he was not the world's
most assiduous fact-checker,
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00:10:30,964 --> 00:10:32,758
I think we can
forgive him
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00:10:32,799 --> 00:10:34,926
given that it's tough
to cross-reference sources
218
00:10:34,968 --> 00:10:37,721
when only one person has ever
written about something.
219
00:10:37,763 --> 00:10:40,474
Regardless, Pliny had a lot
to say about wines.
220
00:10:40,974 --> 00:10:42,809
Good wines, bad wines.
221
00:10:42,851 --> 00:10:44,269
Wine play.
222
00:10:44,811 --> 00:10:48,398
Wine thoughts
with Pliny the Elder.
223
00:10:49,983 --> 00:10:52,819
"It is the property of wine,
when drunk,
224
00:10:52,861 --> 00:10:54,905
to cause
a feeling of warmth
225
00:10:54,946 --> 00:10:57,366
in the interior
of the viscera,
226
00:10:57,407 --> 00:11:00,327
and when poured
upon the exterior of the body
227
00:11:00,369 --> 00:11:02,746
to be cool and refreshing."
228
00:11:06,083 --> 00:11:08,543
Pliny also wrote
about Falernian wine,
229
00:11:08,585 --> 00:11:11,713
which was a wine supposedly so
strong that it was flammable,
230
00:11:11,755 --> 00:11:14,091
meaning it would have been
more than three times
231
00:11:14,132 --> 00:11:15,884
as alcoholic
as today's wine.
232
00:11:16,593 --> 00:11:19,721
The Romans were absolutely
bonkers for Falernian wine.
233
00:11:20,847 --> 00:11:24,184
As the legend goes,
a humble farmer, Falernus,
234
00:11:24,226 --> 00:11:25,852
had a meet-cute
235
00:11:25,894 --> 00:11:28,105
with the Roman God
of viticulture, Liber.
236
00:11:28,146 --> 00:11:30,440
The result
was Falernian wine.
237
00:11:31,191 --> 00:11:33,318
Now we'll probably never know
what it tasted like,
238
00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:37,280
but we can enjoy it as a great
early example of overhype.
239
00:11:37,781 --> 00:11:39,408
Some people loved
Falernian wine,
240
00:11:39,449 --> 00:11:41,076
-or at least claimed to.
-[demon] Yes!
241
00:11:41,118 --> 00:11:42,577
[Jim] Some people
said it wasn't everything
242
00:11:42,619 --> 00:11:45,205
-it was built up to be.
-[man spitting]
243
00:11:45,247 --> 00:11:47,833
Pliny was an expert
on Falernian wine
244
00:11:47,874 --> 00:11:49,501
and was able to taste,
245
00:11:49,543 --> 00:11:51,586
whether he said so
out loud or not
246
00:11:51,628 --> 00:11:54,548
when his friends
served him fake Falernian.
247
00:11:54,589 --> 00:11:56,049
[glass shattering]
248
00:11:56,091 --> 00:11:58,051
A century later,
the physician Galen
249
00:11:58,093 --> 00:12:00,303
would doubt that
all the Falernian wine
250
00:12:00,345 --> 00:12:03,306
could possibly be real
just based on quantity.
251
00:12:04,307 --> 00:12:08,353
Real or fake, Falernian wine
later dwindled and disappeared.
252
00:12:08,937 --> 00:12:11,106
But I think it's a great example
to keep in mind
253
00:12:11,148 --> 00:12:13,442
because it's a story
about human beings
254
00:12:13,483 --> 00:12:15,152
focusing on the aspects
of something
255
00:12:15,193 --> 00:12:16,403
that don't matter that much.
256
00:12:17,279 --> 00:12:19,197
Lots of people today
buy things
257
00:12:19,239 --> 00:12:21,366
because of the brand name
without really knowing why.
258
00:12:21,408 --> 00:12:23,285
I would love to be able
to afford to do that
259
00:12:23,326 --> 00:12:25,412
because I want people
to think I'm cool.
260
00:12:25,454 --> 00:12:28,540
But what really matters is
being more like Pliny the Elder.
261
00:12:28,582 --> 00:12:31,293
Writing more,
pouring wine on yourself,
262
00:12:31,334 --> 00:12:33,587
and maybe writing on people
if they're okay with it.
263
00:12:34,546 --> 00:12:38,216
How do we get from early wine
to the point where, you know,
264
00:12:38,258 --> 00:12:40,635
a little bit later on
Romans were dictating that
265
00:12:40,677 --> 00:12:42,220
if you come across
a south-facing slope,
266
00:12:42,262 --> 00:12:43,638
you need to plant
some grapes?
267
00:12:43,680 --> 00:12:45,348
Okay. Yeah.
268
00:12:45,390 --> 00:12:47,225
I like-- I like the fact
that you ask questions
269
00:12:47,267 --> 00:12:50,520
-with three-hour answers.
-I apologize. [chuckles]
270
00:12:50,562 --> 00:12:52,689
Um, so first of all,
wine and health.
271
00:12:52,731 --> 00:12:54,107
Um, and by the way,
272
00:12:54,149 --> 00:12:57,527
current research basically says
273
00:12:57,569 --> 00:13:01,698
that wine probably
isn't good for you.
274
00:13:01,740 --> 00:13:03,575
It does some things
that are good for you,
275
00:13:03,617 --> 00:13:07,954
but the risk of liver damage
and/or alcoholism
276
00:13:07,996 --> 00:13:09,789
outweigh those to the point
277
00:13:09,831 --> 00:13:11,333
where if you were
to take someone and just say,
278
00:13:11,374 --> 00:13:13,919
on a pure--
pure health basis,
279
00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:16,546
should you start
drinking wine at age 30?
280
00:13:16,588 --> 00:13:19,466
I think most doctors at this
point would say, "Probably not."
281
00:13:20,383 --> 00:13:23,136
That said,
in the ancient world,
282
00:13:23,178 --> 00:13:25,931
the old rule was
that water would kill you.
283
00:13:26,681 --> 00:13:30,435
Um, and you know, one of the
questions I ask my students
284
00:13:30,477 --> 00:13:34,105
is you've got
all the microclimates
285
00:13:34,147 --> 00:13:36,316
and soil types
in the world in Asia,
286
00:13:36,358 --> 00:13:39,152
why didn't they ever develop
a big wine industry?
287
00:13:39,945 --> 00:13:41,738
And the answer
is they drank tea.
288
00:13:43,406 --> 00:13:45,909
And the first step
in drinking tea
289
00:13:45,951 --> 00:13:47,786
is boiling the water.
290
00:13:47,827 --> 00:13:50,789
In Europe,
we didn't do that so much.
291
00:13:50,830 --> 00:13:52,707
We made beer that way,
292
00:13:52,749 --> 00:13:55,752
which is why beer has always
been considered a healthy drink.
293
00:13:55,794 --> 00:13:57,587
So, going back to that
294
00:13:57,629 --> 00:14:00,674
ancient, um, medical advice,
295
00:14:00,715 --> 00:14:02,676
first, do no harm.
296
00:14:02,717 --> 00:14:05,804
At the very least if you're
giving people soup or wine,
297
00:14:05,845 --> 00:14:08,557
you're not introducing
new pathogens to them,
298
00:14:08,598 --> 00:14:09,933
you're not making them worse.
299
00:14:10,475 --> 00:14:12,102
At least before
Louis Pasteur
300
00:14:12,143 --> 00:14:14,729
was a key part of--
of a healthy lifestyle.
301
00:14:14,771 --> 00:14:17,065
And I'm still gonna argue
that a glass a day
302
00:14:17,107 --> 00:14:19,234
is probably
not gonna do you much damage
303
00:14:19,276 --> 00:14:20,902
and may help you
in a couple of ways.
304
00:14:21,945 --> 00:14:25,031
Though they were still producing
wine in much the same way
305
00:14:25,073 --> 00:14:27,909
that the Georgians
had 6000 years previous,
306
00:14:27,951 --> 00:14:30,579
the Romans invented
something wholly new.
307
00:14:31,329 --> 00:14:32,497
The wine barrel.
308
00:14:33,164 --> 00:14:35,417
Or as kids today call it,
a rolly boy.
309
00:14:37,127 --> 00:14:39,504
Well, as far as what
we were talking about earlier
310
00:14:39,546 --> 00:14:42,215
with transportation,
barrel is much easier to move
311
00:14:42,257 --> 00:14:44,509
than a pot that doesn't
have a proper bottom, right?
312
00:14:44,551 --> 00:14:46,177
And that breaks really easily.
313
00:14:46,219 --> 00:14:49,055
It's heavier, but it's more,
like, user-friendly.
314
00:14:49,097 --> 00:14:50,640
Barrel does a couple
of things for wine.
315
00:14:50,682 --> 00:14:52,892
One, it-- it's a--
316
00:14:52,934 --> 00:14:56,688
it's a vessel that allows
for just enough oxygen transfer
317
00:14:56,730 --> 00:14:58,565
to age a wine within it.
318
00:14:58,607 --> 00:15:00,900
But also it doesn't make
the wine oxidize.
319
00:15:00,942 --> 00:15:04,988
For me, first thing I think of
is adding a flavor.
320
00:15:05,030 --> 00:15:09,200
Um, whether it be
a heavy toast or--
321
00:15:09,242 --> 00:15:11,077
or-- or cinnamon or vanilla.
322
00:15:11,620 --> 00:15:13,955
Um, it also is a vessel
323
00:15:13,997 --> 00:15:16,291
to help mellow your wine
324
00:15:16,333 --> 00:15:19,085
as well to soften the tannins
325
00:15:19,127 --> 00:15:21,004
that would come
from the grape skins.
326
00:15:21,588 --> 00:15:23,548
They last, you can use them
for a long time.
327
00:15:23,590 --> 00:15:25,967
So, like, it's an economical way
of doing it too
328
00:15:26,009 --> 00:15:27,844
when you have neutral barrel
329
00:15:27,886 --> 00:15:29,387
because you can use it
for years and years.
330
00:15:29,429 --> 00:15:30,972
I mean, there are people
who have their--
331
00:15:31,014 --> 00:15:33,516
their, you know,
giant fermenting tanks
332
00:15:33,558 --> 00:15:35,226
that are made of wood
that they've used since the,
333
00:15:35,268 --> 00:15:37,687
you know, 1750s
that are still being used.
334
00:15:37,729 --> 00:15:40,398
That's crazy, right?
That it's held up like that.
335
00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:43,401
But I-- I think
of aging first before travel
336
00:15:43,443 --> 00:15:46,237
because I-- I guess I live
in a modern world where,
337
00:15:46,279 --> 00:15:48,657
you know, you can
put it in a tanker now.
338
00:15:48,698 --> 00:15:50,700
[chuckles] You can put
your juice in a tanker
339
00:15:50,742 --> 00:15:51,951
and ship it somewhere else.
340
00:15:53,286 --> 00:15:55,997
[Jim] Wine had
a fantastic few 100 years
341
00:15:56,039 --> 00:15:57,707
under the Roman Empire,
342
00:15:57,749 --> 00:15:59,584
but with Rome's fall,
343
00:15:59,626 --> 00:16:03,129
wine returned to being
a primarily local endeavor.
344
00:16:03,713 --> 00:16:06,758
But for wine,
this wasn't twilight,
345
00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:08,843
merely a passing cloud.
346
00:16:10,804 --> 00:16:12,972
[classical violin music playing]
347
00:16:13,014 --> 00:16:16,726
Benedict of Nursia
was born to Roman nobility,
348
00:16:16,768 --> 00:16:19,562
but when he was 14,
he became disgusted with Rome
349
00:16:19,604 --> 00:16:22,190
and he left
to found a monastery.
350
00:16:22,232 --> 00:16:24,025
Before he died,
351
00:16:24,067 --> 00:16:25,860
he wrote out a set of rules
for monks to follow,
352
00:16:25,902 --> 00:16:29,489
including that each monk
should be allowed one hemina
353
00:16:29,531 --> 00:16:31,783
or about 270 milliliters,
354
00:16:31,825 --> 00:16:34,494
or two stingy glasses per day.
355
00:16:35,161 --> 00:16:38,289
This helped further democratize
wine in the medieval world.
356
00:16:38,790 --> 00:16:41,543
The only problem was
it was still gross.
357
00:16:41,584 --> 00:16:43,169
[monk spitting]
358
00:16:43,211 --> 00:16:46,131
And worse,
the medieval poor were faced
359
00:16:46,172 --> 00:16:49,759
with the prospect of drinking
wine stored in animal hides,
360
00:16:49,801 --> 00:16:52,470
which would have imparted
all manner of flavors,
361
00:16:52,512 --> 00:16:54,222
if not bacteria.
362
00:16:54,264 --> 00:16:56,850
Imagine wine that's been
left outside for eight months
363
00:16:56,891 --> 00:16:58,768
and then decanted
in a shoe.
364
00:16:59,644 --> 00:17:02,439
Then again, some people I trust
don't seem to mind.
365
00:17:02,981 --> 00:17:06,067
You're talking about,
like, a real wineskin.
366
00:17:06,108 --> 00:17:07,777
[Jim] It's just--
they cut it off the animal.
367
00:17:07,819 --> 00:17:09,279
-Yeah.
-Tie the ends.
368
00:17:09,319 --> 00:17:12,156
Let's do it, let's do it.
I'm here for that.
369
00:17:12,781 --> 00:17:15,492
Whether in a shoe or not
370
00:17:15,535 --> 00:17:17,203
wine was ready
371
00:17:17,244 --> 00:17:18,829
and a big break came
372
00:17:18,872 --> 00:17:21,958
with the rise
of the medieval middle class.
373
00:17:23,167 --> 00:17:25,795
The middle class
were a new breed.
374
00:17:25,837 --> 00:17:27,297
[man grunts]
375
00:17:27,338 --> 00:17:28,965
They formed
something called guilds
376
00:17:29,007 --> 00:17:31,801
which were a little bit
like early corporations,
377
00:17:31,843 --> 00:17:34,471
including all
the good and bad things
378
00:17:34,512 --> 00:17:36,306
about modern corporations.
379
00:17:37,265 --> 00:17:40,059
By joining a guild
and displaying its crest,
380
00:17:40,101 --> 00:17:41,811
you showed
potential customers
381
00:17:41,853 --> 00:17:43,938
that you weren't
just any old idiot.
382
00:17:43,980 --> 00:17:45,565
You were a professional.
383
00:17:46,941 --> 00:17:50,195
Guilds also gave rise
to a merchant class.
384
00:17:50,236 --> 00:17:53,615
They weren't poor
and while they weren't nobility,
385
00:17:53,656 --> 00:17:56,951
they were definitely rich
and they definitely wanted wine.
386
00:17:57,911 --> 00:17:59,662
At the same time,
387
00:17:59,704 --> 00:18:02,791
population and methods
of transportation were growing,
388
00:18:02,832 --> 00:18:05,293
which had a similar effect
on the feudal system
389
00:18:05,335 --> 00:18:07,545
that the internet,
among other factors,
390
00:18:07,587 --> 00:18:10,757
had on locally owned
retail stores.
391
00:18:10,799 --> 00:18:13,760
The upshot of all this
though for the wine trade
392
00:18:13,802 --> 00:18:17,180
was increased demand
and easier transport
393
00:18:17,222 --> 00:18:19,098
which led to lots more business.
394
00:18:19,641 --> 00:18:21,935
But it also meant
that regions had to compete
395
00:18:21,976 --> 00:18:24,312
on the basis of things
like quality
396
00:18:24,354 --> 00:18:25,688
in addition to price.
397
00:18:26,147 --> 00:18:29,317
And because of that competition
for the first time,
398
00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:32,320
common people
had a chance of sampling wine
399
00:18:32,362 --> 00:18:34,656
that did not taste
like old shoe.
400
00:18:40,912 --> 00:18:42,539
Around this time,
401
00:18:42,580 --> 00:18:44,958
there was one city that
had everything it needed
402
00:18:44,999 --> 00:18:47,418
to be a wine production
powerhouse...
403
00:18:48,628 --> 00:18:50,713
except for a thriving market.
404
00:18:51,589 --> 00:18:54,884
And that city was in a duchy
called Aquitaine.
405
00:18:56,761 --> 00:19:00,056
The big boss of Aquitaine
was Duchess Eleanor,
406
00:19:00,098 --> 00:19:02,892
who was also married
to Louis VIII of France.
407
00:19:02,934 --> 00:19:05,061
And thus,
in addition to being a Duchess,
408
00:19:05,103 --> 00:19:06,938
she was Queen of France,
409
00:19:06,980 --> 00:19:09,649
but she got her marriage
to Louis VIII annulled
410
00:19:09,691 --> 00:19:12,110
and married
Henry Plantagenet instead.
411
00:19:13,069 --> 00:19:15,613
Henry went on
to become King of England.
412
00:19:15,655 --> 00:19:17,991
Aquitaine became
an English territory.
413
00:19:18,032 --> 00:19:21,786
And all of a sudden
our hero city got itself a huge,
414
00:19:21,828 --> 00:19:24,831
new English market
for its wine.
415
00:19:25,665 --> 00:19:27,792
But Eleanor's ex-husband,
Louis VIII,
416
00:19:27,834 --> 00:19:30,837
still King of France,
invaded Aquitaine
417
00:19:30,879 --> 00:19:33,590
intending to fight
every last person there
418
00:19:33,631 --> 00:19:34,757
into the sea.
419
00:19:35,842 --> 00:19:38,636
Louis was thwarted
when our heroic city
420
00:19:38,678 --> 00:19:41,055
stopped the assault
of the French.
421
00:19:41,556 --> 00:19:44,434
The English royalty
were understandably thrilled.
422
00:19:44,893 --> 00:19:46,895
As a result,
our city became
423
00:19:46,936 --> 00:19:50,231
the go-to wine city
for England and the world.
424
00:19:50,940 --> 00:19:52,775
What was that city
that stood strong
425
00:19:52,817 --> 00:19:54,819
against the invading
French bast--
426
00:19:54,861 --> 00:19:56,446
It was Bordeaux.
427
00:19:56,487 --> 00:19:58,031
Which is in France.
428
00:19:58,573 --> 00:20:00,325
Because
of the Hundred Years' War,
429
00:20:00,366 --> 00:20:02,785
which was fought
for over 115 years.
430
00:20:02,827 --> 00:20:04,913
But-- but-- but this--
never mind.
431
00:20:04,954 --> 00:20:06,873
Look, around the same time,
432
00:20:06,915 --> 00:20:10,168
just a few 100 miles away,
near the city of Dijon
433
00:20:10,209 --> 00:20:13,129
lived an extremely devout
group of monks
434
00:20:13,171 --> 00:20:15,381
known as the Cistercians.
435
00:20:15,423 --> 00:20:18,051
[religious music playing]
436
00:20:24,307 --> 00:20:26,476
[Jim] Though they lived
by the same rules
437
00:20:26,517 --> 00:20:29,520
set forth by Saint Benedict,
whom we mentioned previously,
438
00:20:29,562 --> 00:20:32,106
the Cistercians
positively laughed
439
00:20:32,148 --> 00:20:34,525
at their Benedictine
contemporaries.
440
00:20:34,567 --> 00:20:38,112
Those Benedictines
with their sinful indulgences,
441
00:20:38,154 --> 00:20:39,864
like eating and talking.
442
00:20:39,906 --> 00:20:42,200
-Ha, savages.
-Oh?
443
00:20:42,241 --> 00:20:44,953
[Jim] Except the Cistercians
much more closely observed
444
00:20:44,994 --> 00:20:46,871
a vow of silence
than the Benedictines.
445
00:20:46,913 --> 00:20:49,374
So they probably
only laughed on the inside.
446
00:20:50,041 --> 00:20:52,377
After the fall
of the Roman Empire,
447
00:20:52,418 --> 00:20:56,047
really the only group
of people in Europe
448
00:20:56,089 --> 00:21:00,009
who were organized,
economically viable,
449
00:21:00,051 --> 00:21:01,219
and literate...
450
00:21:02,470 --> 00:21:04,013
was the church.
451
00:21:04,055 --> 00:21:05,223
They had a network
that allowed them
452
00:21:05,264 --> 00:21:06,724
to travel all over Europe
453
00:21:06,766 --> 00:21:09,644
and stay safely
in a church every night.
454
00:21:10,186 --> 00:21:11,771
Nobody else had that.
455
00:21:11,813 --> 00:21:13,940
In fact, if you were
outside the walls
456
00:21:13,982 --> 00:21:16,401
of most medieval cities
at night,
457
00:21:16,442 --> 00:21:18,695
you were beyond the law,
458
00:21:18,736 --> 00:21:21,572
which is how we came up
with the term outlaw.
459
00:21:21,614 --> 00:21:24,617
So they were following
the Roman recipes
460
00:21:24,659 --> 00:21:25,952
on how to make wine.
461
00:21:25,994 --> 00:21:28,371
Where this story
gets complicated
462
00:21:28,413 --> 00:21:32,250
is the church
started to sell indulgences.
463
00:21:32,291 --> 00:21:34,210
[Jim]
So you could be a sinner.
464
00:21:34,252 --> 00:21:36,421
But if you gave
a gift to the church,
465
00:21:36,462 --> 00:21:39,173
you could be absolved
of some of your sins
466
00:21:39,215 --> 00:21:42,760
or at least reduce the amount
of time you spent in purgatory
467
00:21:42,802 --> 00:21:44,512
before you went to heaven.
468
00:21:44,554 --> 00:21:46,222
This seemed like
a pretty good idea
469
00:21:46,264 --> 00:21:47,807
to many wealthy people.
470
00:21:47,849 --> 00:21:50,226
But one of the things
they would do
471
00:21:50,268 --> 00:21:53,438
is they would give vineyards
to the church
472
00:21:53,479 --> 00:21:56,065
because A,
vineyards were valuable.
473
00:21:56,107 --> 00:21:59,694
But B, the church always had
the best winemaker in the region
474
00:21:59,736 --> 00:22:01,738
because he's read
the books.
475
00:22:01,779 --> 00:22:04,741
Everybody else is making wine
the way we used to make it.
476
00:22:04,782 --> 00:22:07,118
"I don't know, my grandpa
used to do it this way,"
477
00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:09,454
but the church
always had the books.
478
00:22:09,495 --> 00:22:12,457
And what it meant
was they were getting vineyards
479
00:22:12,498 --> 00:22:14,542
in different parts
of the region,
480
00:22:14,584 --> 00:22:17,462
often gifts
in return for indulgences
481
00:22:17,503 --> 00:22:18,963
and then
they were making the wines
482
00:22:19,005 --> 00:22:20,757
and as they made the wines,
483
00:22:20,798 --> 00:22:23,176
each wine was made
exactly to the same recipe.
484
00:22:23,676 --> 00:22:25,219
And what they discovered is...
485
00:22:26,304 --> 00:22:29,724
Holy Moly,
the wines taste different,
486
00:22:29,766 --> 00:22:31,476
that wine tastes
different from this wine
487
00:22:31,517 --> 00:22:33,853
even though we made it
exactly the same way.
488
00:22:33,895 --> 00:22:37,148
So that gave birth
to this whole idea of terroir.
489
00:22:37,982 --> 00:22:40,026
[Jim] Terroir is a bit
of a nebulous thing,
490
00:22:40,068 --> 00:22:42,278
which is probably why
the term is so popular
491
00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:44,197
because it's hard
to misapply.
492
00:22:44,238 --> 00:22:45,907
But basically,
it means the way
493
00:22:45,948 --> 00:22:48,534
that a wine represents
its physical place.
494
00:22:48,576 --> 00:22:50,078
[upbeat music playing]
495
00:22:52,538 --> 00:22:54,540
You know,
when you are feeling
496
00:22:54,582 --> 00:22:56,959
a little bit
unsure of yourself
497
00:22:57,001 --> 00:22:59,712
and you wanna hide
from the world.
498
00:22:59,754 --> 00:23:01,130
-That's foxy.
-[buzzer buzzes]
499
00:23:01,172 --> 00:23:02,924
When you look across the bar
500
00:23:02,965 --> 00:23:04,842
and you see someone
drinking wine...
501
00:23:05,384 --> 00:23:08,179
It's, like, squirrely
where you're like,
502
00:23:08,221 --> 00:23:11,724
"Oh, I can't figure out
how I feel about this person,"
503
00:23:11,766 --> 00:23:13,851
but you're a little
more sassy with it.
504
00:23:13,893 --> 00:23:16,229
And you're like,
"If I drink enough wine,
505
00:23:16,270 --> 00:23:18,064
-that person will look better."
-[buzzer buzzes]
506
00:23:18,106 --> 00:23:19,440
It's a little bit gamey.
507
00:23:19,482 --> 00:23:21,025
Some people like it.
Some folks don't.
508
00:23:21,067 --> 00:23:22,777
-But they call it foxy.
-[buzzer dings]
509
00:23:23,486 --> 00:23:27,824
You know, when you misspeak,
uh, in a conversation
510
00:23:27,865 --> 00:23:29,659
and you know
that everybody heard it
511
00:23:29,700 --> 00:23:31,536
but they're all acting
like, "No--
512
00:23:31,577 --> 00:23:34,413
no-- no, nothing's wrong"
but you know that they're lying,
513
00:23:34,455 --> 00:23:35,998
-that's mouth feel.
-[buzzer buzzes]
514
00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:38,000
Mouth feel is, like,
515
00:23:38,042 --> 00:23:42,588
what animals use to sense
516
00:23:42,630 --> 00:23:45,299
whether
they like others or not.
517
00:23:45,341 --> 00:23:47,343
-It happens in the mouth.
-[buzzer buzzes]
518
00:23:47,385 --> 00:23:50,263
Mouth feel is the texture
of the liquid in your mouth.
519
00:23:50,304 --> 00:23:53,266
The viscosity,
how it feels against the tongue
520
00:23:53,307 --> 00:23:54,767
-and the cheeks.
-[buzzer dings]
521
00:23:54,809 --> 00:23:56,686
That's what happens, um,
when you're in a lab
522
00:23:56,727 --> 00:23:59,272
and you accidentally
revive dinosaurs.
523
00:23:59,313 --> 00:24:01,190
When you go to the dog park
524
00:24:01,232 --> 00:24:03,234
and, uh,
you notice that it says,
525
00:24:03,276 --> 00:24:05,027
"No small dogs allowed,"
526
00:24:05,069 --> 00:24:06,946
but you have
the smallest dog...
527
00:24:08,030 --> 00:24:09,448
-that's terroir.
-[buzzer buzzes]
528
00:24:09,490 --> 00:24:11,284
Terroir is
529
00:24:11,325 --> 00:24:14,036
this feeling of fear
530
00:24:14,078 --> 00:24:15,746
that comes over you
531
00:24:15,788 --> 00:24:18,541
when you don't know
the answer to something
532
00:24:18,583 --> 00:24:20,126
-that you should know.
-[buzzer buzzes]
533
00:24:20,168 --> 00:24:21,752
Occasionally
when the sun, like, shoots off,
534
00:24:21,794 --> 00:24:24,088
-like, radioactive energy.
-[buzzer buzzes]
535
00:24:24,630 --> 00:24:28,092
Tannins are that
tingly sensation on the tongue.
536
00:24:28,759 --> 00:24:32,221
When you know
that something is amiss.
537
00:24:32,263 --> 00:24:34,599
The more tannins you have,
538
00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:36,475
the higher quality the leather.
539
00:24:37,143 --> 00:24:38,936
[buzzer buzzes]
540
00:24:38,978 --> 00:24:40,438
-[Jim] You wanna [indistinct]?
-No, that-- that's me. No.
541
00:24:40,479 --> 00:24:41,898
I don't wanna [indistinct].
542
00:24:41,939 --> 00:24:43,816
[all laugh]
543
00:24:43,858 --> 00:24:47,486
It seems obvious now,
but at the time,
544
00:24:47,528 --> 00:24:49,155
it was
a breakthrough discovery
545
00:24:49,197 --> 00:24:51,532
that certain grapes
and certain places
546
00:24:51,574 --> 00:24:53,993
are a natural match
for one another.
547
00:24:54,035 --> 00:24:56,162
And we have the Cistercians
to thank for that.
548
00:24:56,204 --> 00:25:00,541
♪
549
00:25:00,583 --> 00:25:03,419
The work of the Cistercian
as well as other groups
550
00:25:03,461 --> 00:25:04,921
like the Benedictines,
551
00:25:04,962 --> 00:25:06,714
concentrated wine's development
552
00:25:06,756 --> 00:25:08,674
into the major
wine-growing regions
553
00:25:08,716 --> 00:25:10,301
we know in France today.
554
00:25:11,969 --> 00:25:14,222
There are quite
a few regions,
555
00:25:14,263 --> 00:25:15,932
sub-regions, and cru sites,
556
00:25:15,973 --> 00:25:18,559
but perhaps the most famous
are Champagne,
557
00:25:18,601 --> 00:25:21,979
Burgundy, Beaujolais,
the Rhone Valley,
558
00:25:22,021 --> 00:25:24,148
Bordeaux and the Loire Valley
559
00:25:24,190 --> 00:25:26,984
and Alsace and Languedoc
and Provence.
560
00:25:27,026 --> 00:25:28,194
There are a lot.
561
00:25:30,154 --> 00:25:32,281
The Celts might have been
growing wine in France
562
00:25:32,323 --> 00:25:34,075
before the Romans
barged in.
563
00:25:34,116 --> 00:25:36,827
But as discussed,
the Romans really went ham.
564
00:25:38,037 --> 00:25:39,914
You'll hear a lot of people
mention Burgundy
565
00:25:39,956 --> 00:25:42,500
as one of the world's
fanciest wine regions.
566
00:25:42,541 --> 00:25:45,002
Whereas its southern neighbor,
Beaujolais is,
567
00:25:45,044 --> 00:25:46,963
so they say,
more approachable.
568
00:25:47,797 --> 00:25:49,298
As we heard, Jeanine say...
569
00:25:49,340 --> 00:25:50,633
I know that this wine
comes from Burgundy.
570
00:25:50,675 --> 00:25:52,343
If it's red,
it's probably Pinot.
571
00:25:52,385 --> 00:25:54,262
[Jim] This is the case,
572
00:25:54,303 --> 00:25:57,556
thanks to a 14th-century Duke
named Philip the Bold.
573
00:25:58,057 --> 00:25:59,767
Philip became
the Duke of Burgundy
574
00:25:59,809 --> 00:26:01,644
because when he was 14,
575
00:26:01,686 --> 00:26:05,314
he helped his father,
King John II, or John the Good,
576
00:26:05,356 --> 00:26:08,109
fight the English
at the Battle of Poitiers,
577
00:26:08,150 --> 00:26:09,777
which they lost.
578
00:26:09,819 --> 00:26:12,655
But Phillip apparently
was bold about it.
579
00:26:13,197 --> 00:26:15,491
I'm sure it was a great comfort
to the common folk
580
00:26:15,533 --> 00:26:17,285
who lost family members
at the battle
581
00:26:17,326 --> 00:26:20,663
to hear that the king's
14-year-old son was bold.
582
00:26:21,205 --> 00:26:23,833
Philip and his dad were
both captured during the battle
583
00:26:23,874 --> 00:26:25,501
and were kept in custody
584
00:26:25,543 --> 00:26:28,129
until they were released
by a treaty in 1360.
585
00:26:28,921 --> 00:26:31,841
Philip became
the Duke of Burgundy in 1363.
586
00:26:33,050 --> 00:26:34,635
As Duke of Burgundy,
587
00:26:34,677 --> 00:26:36,804
in addition
to the usual ducal duties
588
00:26:36,846 --> 00:26:39,056
of killing the English
or the Flemish
589
00:26:39,098 --> 00:26:41,142
or marrying
a Flemish countess,
590
00:26:41,183 --> 00:26:43,519
Philip took
a lot of care and pride
591
00:26:43,561 --> 00:26:46,564
in his region's wine
made from Pinot Noir.
592
00:26:47,398 --> 00:26:49,358
Pinot Noir then, as now,
593
00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:53,154
was hard to grow,
much harder than say, Gamay.
594
00:26:53,195 --> 00:26:54,947
I assume
you've seen Sideways
595
00:26:54,989 --> 00:26:56,907
and heard
Paul Giamatti deliver
596
00:26:56,949 --> 00:26:59,618
an "Alas, poor Yorick-esque"
monologue on the subject,
597
00:26:59,660 --> 00:27:01,829
so you know
how Pinot Noir people can get.
598
00:27:02,997 --> 00:27:05,333
Philip noted that
many of the wine growers
599
00:27:05,374 --> 00:27:07,126
under his ducal shadow
600
00:27:07,168 --> 00:27:09,628
were growing Gamay grapes
rather than Pinot Noir.
601
00:27:09,670 --> 00:27:13,215
And we presume he feared
this would hurt his wines'
602
00:27:13,257 --> 00:27:16,302
and by extension,
his Duchy's reputation.
603
00:27:16,969 --> 00:27:18,512
There is reason to believe
604
00:27:18,554 --> 00:27:20,890
that farmers
were incentivized to plant Gamay
605
00:27:20,931 --> 00:27:22,725
because they were struggling
for manpower
606
00:27:22,767 --> 00:27:26,604
due to the black plague killing
a third of people in the world.
607
00:27:27,563 --> 00:27:29,065
That stands to reason.
608
00:27:29,106 --> 00:27:30,691
But there's not really
a time ever
609
00:27:30,733 --> 00:27:33,027
when farmers don't benefit
from easier,
610
00:27:33,069 --> 00:27:34,403
higher-yield crops.
611
00:27:35,988 --> 00:27:37,573
Was Philip the Bold right
to banish Gamay from Burgundy?
612
00:27:38,032 --> 00:27:41,702
It's easy to imagine a grower's
family suffering undue hardship,
613
00:27:41,744 --> 00:27:43,871
thanks to an out-of-touch Duke
614
00:27:43,913 --> 00:27:46,123
issuing edicts
out of his back office.
615
00:27:46,791 --> 00:27:49,168
At the same time,
one can also easily imagine
616
00:27:49,210 --> 00:27:50,961
Burgundy's competitors saying,
617
00:27:51,003 --> 00:27:53,589
"What, Burgundy,
that old swill?
618
00:27:53,631 --> 00:27:54,965
They don't make it
like they used to."
619
00:27:56,550 --> 00:27:58,969
Whatever his reasoning,
Duke Phillip decreed
620
00:27:59,011 --> 00:28:00,596
that Gamay was vile
621
00:28:00,638 --> 00:28:02,223
and demanded it be ripped
from the earth.
622
00:28:02,890 --> 00:28:04,850
If they wanted to grow Gamay
south in Beaujolais,
623
00:28:04,892 --> 00:28:06,394
so be it.
624
00:28:06,435 --> 00:28:08,229
They did
and they still do to this day.
625
00:28:08,979 --> 00:28:10,564
Which should you drink?
626
00:28:11,190 --> 00:28:12,691
Ask your local wine expert.
627
00:28:13,275 --> 00:28:16,153
But the answer is both,
responsibly, but both.
628
00:28:17,113 --> 00:28:20,157
But it wasn't just France
on the wine scene at the time.
629
00:28:20,199 --> 00:28:22,159
The Germans
were beginning to have success
630
00:28:22,201 --> 00:28:24,120
despite their colder climate.
631
00:28:24,161 --> 00:28:26,580
In the 15th century,
a little grape
632
00:28:26,622 --> 00:28:28,457
known as Riesling appeared.
633
00:28:28,499 --> 00:28:33,546
♪
634
00:28:38,801 --> 00:28:41,053
[Jim]
Because Riesling produced wines
635
00:28:41,095 --> 00:28:45,307
with relatively high acidity,
the wines both tasted fresher
636
00:28:45,349 --> 00:28:47,726
and lasted longer
without spoiling.
637
00:28:48,185 --> 00:28:50,938
But while the Cistercians
introduced and developed wines
638
00:28:50,980 --> 00:28:54,108
based on a vine's location
down to the foot,
639
00:28:54,150 --> 00:28:55,609
the Germans began working
640
00:28:55,651 --> 00:28:58,362
on wines picked late
in the harvest,
641
00:28:58,404 --> 00:29:00,531
differentiating
based on the day
642
00:29:00,573 --> 00:29:03,200
and sometimes even picking
certain grapes from a bunch
643
00:29:03,242 --> 00:29:05,202
and leaving others
to mature.
644
00:29:05,953 --> 00:29:07,663
That's one of the coolest things
to me in the world.
645
00:29:07,705 --> 00:29:09,373
Like, who did that one day?
646
00:29:09,415 --> 00:29:11,041
They're like, "Oh, damn it,
647
00:29:11,083 --> 00:29:13,335
all of our grapes
are covered in mold.
648
00:29:13,377 --> 00:29:15,254
Let's-- let's press it
and see what happens."
649
00:29:15,296 --> 00:29:18,215
You know what I mean?
Like, that-- somebody did that.
650
00:29:18,257 --> 00:29:20,551
And now this-- some of the most
expensive wines in the world
651
00:29:20,593 --> 00:29:22,261
are made from moldy grapes.
652
00:29:22,803 --> 00:29:23,888
[imitates explosion]
653
00:29:23,929 --> 00:29:25,931
Their labeling is a little--
654
00:29:25,973 --> 00:29:27,933
it's slightly different
from what we know
655
00:29:27,975 --> 00:29:29,560
as traditional overall labels
656
00:29:29,602 --> 00:29:31,520
because there's always,
like, a vineyard site
657
00:29:31,562 --> 00:29:32,855
and a town involved.
658
00:29:32,897 --> 00:29:34,398
A quality level.
659
00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:36,108
So if you don't know
those quality levels,
660
00:29:36,150 --> 00:29:37,526
you don't know how much sugar
you're walking into.
661
00:29:37,568 --> 00:29:39,570
Yes, so I would say
German labels
662
00:29:39,612 --> 00:29:42,072
are probably the most
complicated labels to read.
663
00:29:42,114 --> 00:29:44,200
Um, and then France after that.
664
00:29:44,241 --> 00:29:47,745
With, like, Germany,
you got Cabernet,
665
00:29:47,786 --> 00:29:49,872
you've got Auslese,
Beerenauslese,
666
00:29:49,914 --> 00:29:51,999
you have the-- the vineyard,
you have the cru site,
667
00:29:52,041 --> 00:29:53,167
and you're just like...
668
00:29:54,293 --> 00:29:56,462
"Is this Riesling
gonna go with my salad?"
669
00:29:56,504 --> 00:29:59,006
Like, that's all
I want to know.
670
00:29:59,465 --> 00:30:02,885
Today, the Germans
still produce delicious,
671
00:30:02,927 --> 00:30:05,513
high-quality
late-harvest wine,
672
00:30:05,554 --> 00:30:07,723
as well as
everyday table wine.
673
00:30:08,474 --> 00:30:09,892
But with all
that great wine around,
674
00:30:09,934 --> 00:30:12,186
why even produce
everyday table wine?
675
00:30:12,853 --> 00:30:15,397
Simple, because
Americans will drink it.
676
00:30:15,439 --> 00:30:20,444
♪
677
00:30:21,403 --> 00:30:23,280
[Jim] By the 17th century,
678
00:30:23,322 --> 00:30:27,159
a nobleman from Bordeaux,
Arnaud III de Pontac,
679
00:30:27,201 --> 00:30:29,078
Monsieur de Pontac,
if you're nasty,
680
00:30:29,119 --> 00:30:30,704
realized three things.
681
00:30:31,413 --> 00:30:34,333
First, that as
the Cistercians had proven,
682
00:30:34,375 --> 00:30:36,210
some wines
were better than others
683
00:30:36,252 --> 00:30:39,171
based on their precise
geographical location.
684
00:30:39,672 --> 00:30:41,840
Second, that according
to him, anyway,
685
00:30:41,882 --> 00:30:44,593
his Haut-Brion wines
were one of those special wines.
686
00:30:44,635 --> 00:30:47,638
And third,
that taverns across Europe
687
00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:49,515
sold almost all wine
688
00:30:49,557 --> 00:30:51,850
by slobbing it together
in a huge barrel.
689
00:30:52,351 --> 00:30:56,021
So no one knew if they were
drinking his amazing Haut-Brion
690
00:30:56,063 --> 00:31:00,317
or some rot gut pigswill
made five meters away.
691
00:31:00,985 --> 00:31:02,987
So what did de Pontac do?
Simple.
692
00:31:03,028 --> 00:31:05,281
He doubled the price
of his wine
693
00:31:05,322 --> 00:31:07,866
and then insisted
it was worth it.
694
00:31:08,534 --> 00:31:11,579
In short,
he invented wine marketing.
695
00:31:12,830 --> 00:31:16,000
How much
of the wine trade is marketing?
696
00:31:18,544 --> 00:31:19,628
Um...
697
00:31:20,588 --> 00:31:23,966
I'm gonna say that 98% of it.
698
00:31:24,008 --> 00:31:27,052
If there is ever a story
about marketing, it's champagne.
699
00:31:27,094 --> 00:31:29,346
You grow grapes where
it's too cool to get them ripe.
700
00:31:29,930 --> 00:31:31,599
And so you add
extra sugar
701
00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:33,392
hoping that
you'll make up the difference
702
00:31:33,434 --> 00:31:35,102
and you get bubbles
and you think, "Oh, okay,
703
00:31:35,144 --> 00:31:37,354
I've got lemons,
I'm gonna make lemonade."
704
00:31:37,396 --> 00:31:39,481
And then you make it
a wine of celebration.
705
00:31:39,523 --> 00:31:41,734
They were brilliant at this
and the stuff's delicious.
706
00:31:41,775 --> 00:31:42,901
So who can complain?
707
00:31:44,194 --> 00:31:46,030
[Jim] How much
of the wine trade is marketing?
708
00:31:47,448 --> 00:31:48,532
Hmm.
709
00:31:50,367 --> 00:31:52,828
I feel like this is, like,
something for me to poo-poo.
710
00:31:52,870 --> 00:31:55,247
Um... [sighs]
711
00:31:55,914 --> 00:31:57,249
People-- people come in,
they're like,
712
00:31:57,291 --> 00:31:58,792
"I love the label
of this wine"
713
00:31:58,834 --> 00:32:00,252
and I'm like,
"That's why it's on there."
714
00:32:00,294 --> 00:32:02,254
Like it's--
it's because it's pleasing
715
00:32:02,296 --> 00:32:04,381
and it makes you want to go
like, "I like this label.
716
00:32:04,423 --> 00:32:05,924
I will buy this wine."
717
00:32:05,966 --> 00:32:08,135
Um, and that's marketing, right?
718
00:32:08,177 --> 00:32:10,304
Um, I don't think
that necessarily means
719
00:32:10,346 --> 00:32:12,348
that it's a bad wine,
um, at all.
720
00:32:12,389 --> 00:32:14,725
I think that-- that
sometimes people just, like,
721
00:32:14,767 --> 00:32:16,727
want a quirky head
on there that's exploding
722
00:32:16,769 --> 00:32:17,853
or whatever it is.
723
00:32:17,895 --> 00:32:20,147
One, when you're a big company
724
00:32:20,189 --> 00:32:22,941
and you have a recognizable
label that everyone knows,
725
00:32:22,983 --> 00:32:24,735
then you're gonna be
very successful.
726
00:32:24,777 --> 00:32:26,862
And if you screw that,
if you move-- change it around,
727
00:32:26,904 --> 00:32:29,490
sometimes people,
you know, react poorly to it.
728
00:32:30,407 --> 00:32:32,284
When you're talking about,
like, simplistic,
729
00:32:32,326 --> 00:32:33,827
small-production wines,
730
00:32:33,869 --> 00:32:35,746
I think that word of mouth,
731
00:32:35,788 --> 00:32:37,706
honestly, social media
has done a lot
732
00:32:37,748 --> 00:32:39,458
for small-production wines.
733
00:32:39,500 --> 00:32:43,587
Um, and--
and good websites...
734
00:32:44,505 --> 00:32:46,715
do a lot for--
for small production wines.
735
00:32:46,757 --> 00:32:48,592
So--
and that's marketing, right?
736
00:32:49,385 --> 00:32:50,594
[Jim]
Well, speaking of stories,
737
00:32:50,636 --> 00:32:52,262
I'm thinking of,
uh, Haut-Brion,
738
00:32:52,304 --> 00:32:55,307
you know, they're that--
according to my research anyway,
739
00:32:55,349 --> 00:32:58,519
they were kind of the first,
uh, place to do that.
740
00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:00,938
To say, "My wine
is better than their wine
741
00:33:00,979 --> 00:33:04,608
because my vineyard
is a meter away from theirs."
742
00:33:04,650 --> 00:33:07,027
We wouldn't have--
we wouldn't have [indistinct]
743
00:33:07,069 --> 00:33:08,821
if it didn't--
if it wasn't for that, right?
744
00:33:08,862 --> 00:33:10,698
If it wasn't for people
saying, like,
745
00:33:10,739 --> 00:33:12,116
"I'm the best,"
746
00:33:12,157 --> 00:33:13,492
and then someone else
was like, "Sure."
747
00:33:13,534 --> 00:33:15,327
Under table money,
you know, like,
748
00:33:15,369 --> 00:33:17,121
we wouldn't have those things,
which is,
749
00:33:17,162 --> 00:33:19,623
I mean, those wines
are thousands, Haut-Brion,
750
00:33:19,665 --> 00:33:22,126
like, thousands of dollars
for a bottle of wine.
751
00:33:22,167 --> 00:33:25,754
That's, is it-- is it amazing?
Absolutely, change your life.
752
00:33:26,255 --> 00:33:28,215
But, like...
753
00:33:28,257 --> 00:33:32,052
does it exist because 200 years
or 100 and something years ago,
754
00:33:32,094 --> 00:33:34,346
someone was like,
"This is the place."
755
00:33:34,388 --> 00:33:35,597
But also...
756
00:33:37,683 --> 00:33:40,394
it's that whole, like,
I have a wall around my space.
757
00:33:40,436 --> 00:33:41,895
"This is my space.
758
00:33:41,937 --> 00:33:44,106
It is the best space
because my wall is here.
759
00:33:44,148 --> 00:33:47,025
I know-- I know your space
is connected to my wall,
760
00:33:47,067 --> 00:33:49,194
but it sucks because
you're not in within my wall.
761
00:33:49,236 --> 00:33:50,320
You know what I mean?
762
00:33:50,362 --> 00:33:52,072
Like, that's-- that's how it--
763
00:33:52,114 --> 00:33:53,949
that's how it--
that's how it works.
764
00:33:53,991 --> 00:33:56,243
[Jim] How much
of the wine trade is marketing?
765
00:33:57,077 --> 00:33:58,162
Oh.
766
00:33:59,747 --> 00:34:01,540
Hmm, uh...
767
00:34:03,208 --> 00:34:06,086
What seems to be a bigger number
is not really
768
00:34:06,128 --> 00:34:09,214
because I--
I am a big believer in,
769
00:34:09,255 --> 00:34:12,092
if you see
a commercial for it,
770
00:34:12,134 --> 00:34:13,635
then I'm probably
not drinking it.
771
00:34:13,677 --> 00:34:16,179
And when you think about
your smaller families,
772
00:34:16,221 --> 00:34:18,766
um, they don't have market--
773
00:34:18,806 --> 00:34:20,559
they don't have
marketing budgets,
774
00:34:20,601 --> 00:34:22,018
and that's usually
who I want.
775
00:34:22,060 --> 00:34:25,438
Um, so from
the large perspective
776
00:34:25,481 --> 00:34:26,815
of the wine industry,
777
00:34:26,857 --> 00:34:28,358
marketing is probably--
778
00:34:29,275 --> 00:34:32,654
God, I'd say 65% of everything,
779
00:34:32,696 --> 00:34:35,032
you know,
exposure is a big deal.
780
00:34:35,072 --> 00:34:36,784
Especially for a product
781
00:34:36,824 --> 00:34:38,786
that most people
don't understand.
782
00:34:38,827 --> 00:34:40,661
You know,
if you're exposed to it
783
00:34:40,704 --> 00:34:43,831
and it's flashy and, you know,
you-- you see all the colors
784
00:34:43,873 --> 00:34:45,417
or whatever you see,
785
00:34:45,458 --> 00:34:48,420
then you're probably
more amped to go buy it
786
00:34:48,462 --> 00:34:50,255
and to get excited about it.
787
00:34:50,297 --> 00:34:53,509
Um, but I-- I--
everyone's different,
788
00:34:53,550 --> 00:34:55,135
and I get more excited about
789
00:34:55,177 --> 00:34:58,347
the folks that don't have
a budget for marketing.
790
00:34:58,388 --> 00:35:00,933
That get their marketing
from word of mouth,
791
00:35:00,974 --> 00:35:03,143
you know,
because your product's so good
792
00:35:03,185 --> 00:35:05,854
and made so impressively that,
793
00:35:05,896 --> 00:35:08,482
you know, it's gonna sell out.
794
00:35:08,524 --> 00:35:09,942
But, you know, yeah,
you think about, like,
795
00:35:09,983 --> 00:35:12,319
Madame Clicquot
and she's the queen of--
796
00:35:12,361 --> 00:35:13,737
if it wasn't for her,
797
00:35:13,779 --> 00:35:15,405
there would be
no marketing, period.
798
00:35:15,447 --> 00:35:19,952
Like no way of knowing
about the products in hand
799
00:35:19,993 --> 00:35:21,245
and-- and making it.
800
00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:24,248
I guess she's the queen
of celebration.
801
00:35:24,289 --> 00:35:27,125
Really, so yeah.
802
00:35:27,876 --> 00:35:29,378
[Jim] But you know,
803
00:35:29,419 --> 00:35:31,463
to say that something
is a grocery store wine.
804
00:35:31,505 --> 00:35:32,923
That's-- that's an insult.
805
00:35:33,382 --> 00:35:34,716
It is, it is.
806
00:35:34,758 --> 00:35:37,302
And I understand
what people mean by that,
807
00:35:37,344 --> 00:35:39,680
you know, just because
you see it in a grocery store
808
00:35:39,721 --> 00:35:42,891
doesn't mean that
it's-- it's-- it's inferior.
809
00:35:42,933 --> 00:35:45,102
You know, there's a couple of
things that we've sold here
810
00:35:45,143 --> 00:35:47,396
that, you know,
just happen to...
811
00:35:48,605 --> 00:35:50,232
get a good name for itself.
812
00:35:50,274 --> 00:35:53,735
And so if I say if you made it
to the supermarket
813
00:35:53,777 --> 00:35:55,821
and I sold your wine,
then that's a good-ass wine.
814
00:35:55,863 --> 00:35:59,491
You know, like, that's it,
that wine was fantastic.
815
00:35:59,533 --> 00:36:01,326
But once we figured that out,
we're just like,
816
00:36:01,368 --> 00:36:05,122
"Okay, that-- that-- that train
has been gone now, so."
817
00:36:05,163 --> 00:36:07,833
[Jim] As the experts
have each mentioned,
818
00:36:07,875 --> 00:36:10,127
Madame Clicquot
was another pioneer
819
00:36:10,168 --> 00:36:11,753
in wine marketing.
820
00:36:11,795 --> 00:36:14,464
When her husband,
Francois, died in 1805,
821
00:36:14,506 --> 00:36:16,508
she took over
the family business
822
00:36:16,550 --> 00:36:20,971
and invented the concept
of champagne out of nothing.
823
00:36:21,513 --> 00:36:24,558
She was not yet
30 years old at the time.
824
00:36:25,142 --> 00:36:26,894
Now, sure,
de Pontac might have been
825
00:36:26,935 --> 00:36:29,146
a great early
marketer of Obrien,
826
00:36:29,187 --> 00:36:31,356
but he didn't invent red wine.
827
00:36:32,024 --> 00:36:34,818
Madam Clicquot created
a business for her product
828
00:36:34,860 --> 00:36:38,697
with nothing more than her wit
and the sheer force of her will.
829
00:36:39,323 --> 00:36:41,950
When we drink champagne today,
we are taking part
830
00:36:41,992 --> 00:36:44,912
in the legacy
of a serious badass.
831
00:36:47,789 --> 00:36:49,917
Stepping back a bit
from Madame Clicquot
832
00:36:49,958 --> 00:36:51,668
to the 17th century though.
833
00:36:51,710 --> 00:36:54,880
European explorers
were discovering the new world,
834
00:36:54,922 --> 00:36:56,840
which was a surprise
to the people
835
00:36:56,882 --> 00:36:58,467
already living there.
836
00:36:58,508 --> 00:37:00,719
Those explorers
brought grapes with them,
837
00:37:00,761 --> 00:37:03,138
much as the Romans had done
thousands of years before.
838
00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:05,307
They planted
and cultivated grapes
839
00:37:05,349 --> 00:37:07,100
north into what is now
the United States,
840
00:37:07,142 --> 00:37:10,020
as well as south into Argentina,
Chile, Mexico.
841
00:37:10,062 --> 00:37:12,022
Honestly, just about everywhere.
842
00:37:12,064 --> 00:37:14,608
Colonists were often commanded
to plant vineyards,
843
00:37:14,650 --> 00:37:16,485
but at least in the US,
844
00:37:16,526 --> 00:37:18,570
there was a small problem.
845
00:37:18,612 --> 00:37:21,448
The wine that they produced
did not taste good.
846
00:37:21,490 --> 00:37:23,450
It tasted foxy.
847
00:37:27,329 --> 00:37:28,789
Yeah, well, first of all,
848
00:37:28,830 --> 00:37:30,290
there's a--
there's even an argument
849
00:37:30,332 --> 00:37:32,417
about what foxiness is,
850
00:37:32,459 --> 00:37:35,337
but it's a pretty simple concept
and it goes back--
851
00:37:35,379 --> 00:37:36,964
let's go back
to Thomas Jefferson.
852
00:37:37,005 --> 00:37:38,757
Thomas Jefferson
tried desperately
853
00:37:38,799 --> 00:37:40,300
to grow grapes in Virginia.
854
00:37:40,342 --> 00:37:42,552
Um, the easiest way
to explain it
855
00:37:42,594 --> 00:37:46,014
is that they taste a little bit
like Concord Grape Juice.
856
00:37:46,056 --> 00:37:47,516
Concord Grape Juice is a--
857
00:37:47,557 --> 00:37:48,725
Concord
is a native American grape.
858
00:37:50,102 --> 00:37:53,730
And that smell is in some--
it-- it is related
859
00:37:53,772 --> 00:37:55,357
to the kinds of grapes
860
00:37:55,399 --> 00:37:57,776
that are native
to the United States.
861
00:37:57,818 --> 00:37:59,820
And some people
call it foxy.
862
00:37:59,861 --> 00:38:02,030
And some people say, "Well,
that's not exactly what it is,
863
00:38:02,072 --> 00:38:03,782
but it is that character
864
00:38:03,824 --> 00:38:06,243
that makes those wines
taste different.
865
00:38:06,284 --> 00:38:08,495
And you know,
there-- there are wines
866
00:38:08,537 --> 00:38:11,665
made from Native American grapes
that are pretty darn successful.
867
00:38:11,707 --> 00:38:12,791
Manischewitz.
868
00:38:14,209 --> 00:38:15,961
That's a Concord wine.
869
00:38:16,503 --> 00:38:17,963
Uh, and if you want to know
870
00:38:18,005 --> 00:38:19,798
what early wines
in America tasted like,
871
00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:21,717
they were probably
drier than that
872
00:38:21,758 --> 00:38:23,593
because it's actually
pretty sophisticated
873
00:38:23,635 --> 00:38:26,388
to make a wine that has
that residual sweetness in it
874
00:38:26,430 --> 00:38:27,973
without letting it referment.
875
00:38:28,015 --> 00:38:29,516
That's basically
what they were drinking
876
00:38:29,558 --> 00:38:30,642
in the good old days.
877
00:38:30,684 --> 00:38:32,519
So if-- if you wanna drink
878
00:38:32,561 --> 00:38:35,063
what Thomas Jefferson
was drinking at Monticello,
879
00:38:35,105 --> 00:38:37,149
grab a bottle
of Manischewitz and have at it.
880
00:38:37,983 --> 00:38:40,027
[Jim] What does
a foxy wine taste like?
881
00:38:40,068 --> 00:38:41,319
[indistinct] question.
882
00:38:41,361 --> 00:38:42,696
Foxy?
883
00:38:42,738 --> 00:38:43,739
[Jim]
What does a fox taste like?
884
00:38:44,489 --> 00:38:46,033
I have a really
hard time with that
885
00:38:46,074 --> 00:38:47,909
because I also wonder
the same thing, like,
886
00:38:47,951 --> 00:38:49,202
what does a mouse taste like?
887
00:38:49,745 --> 00:38:51,163
Hairy? I don't know.
888
00:38:51,747 --> 00:38:54,750
Um, that's what
it tastes like to me,
889
00:38:54,791 --> 00:38:56,126
but some people like that.
890
00:38:57,669 --> 00:39:00,589
Some people like that earthy,
musty, mousy, foxy, sweaty,
891
00:39:00,630 --> 00:39:03,175
horse sweat kind of thing,
you know?
892
00:39:03,925 --> 00:39:06,762
Um, a-- a fox,
I think-- um...
893
00:39:08,513 --> 00:39:10,265
I think they probably
taste like a...
894
00:39:12,601 --> 00:39:13,935
I don't even know.
895
00:39:13,977 --> 00:39:15,228
We have foxes
in our neighborhood.
896
00:39:16,021 --> 00:39:17,522
They look so cool in pictures,
897
00:39:17,564 --> 00:39:18,857
and then you see them
in real life
898
00:39:18,899 --> 00:39:20,275
and you're like,
"That thing's ugly."
899
00:39:20,317 --> 00:39:21,860
[chuckles] It's gross.
900
00:39:21,902 --> 00:39:24,321
The American colonists
kept at it
901
00:39:24,362 --> 00:39:26,198
until downy mildew
902
00:39:26,239 --> 00:39:29,159
and then the American Civil War
demolished the wine trade.
903
00:39:29,201 --> 00:39:31,453
But in California,
much as today,
904
00:39:31,495 --> 00:39:33,371
things were different.
905
00:39:33,413 --> 00:39:35,165
[Jim] Jean-Louis Vignes
was making and selling wine
906
00:39:35,207 --> 00:39:37,459
in California in the 1840s.
907
00:39:37,918 --> 00:39:39,669
And the gold rush
later that decade
908
00:39:39,711 --> 00:39:43,131
also had a profound effect
on the demand for wine.
909
00:39:43,173 --> 00:39:47,511
Since unlike gold, the miners
could actually find wine.
910
00:39:47,552 --> 00:39:49,262
By the end of the 19th century,
911
00:39:49,304 --> 00:39:51,556
Californian wines
were flowing like...
912
00:39:52,474 --> 00:39:53,850
well, they were flowing,
913
00:39:53,892 --> 00:39:55,560
which is good,
they would be needed.
914
00:39:56,103 --> 00:39:58,522
[upbeat music]
915
00:39:58,563 --> 00:40:00,732
Also in the mid-19th century,
916
00:40:00,774 --> 00:40:04,069
a man named James Busby,
along with others,
917
00:40:04,111 --> 00:40:06,279
imported grape vines
to Australia
918
00:40:06,321 --> 00:40:10,742
which was particularly difficult
because it was Australia.
919
00:40:10,784 --> 00:40:13,328
Australia
is a gigantic island
920
00:40:13,370 --> 00:40:15,539
made primarily
of deadly spiders,
921
00:40:15,580 --> 00:40:17,582
which is why,
until recently,
922
00:40:17,624 --> 00:40:20,001
Australian wine production
has been focused
923
00:40:20,043 --> 00:40:23,004
on stronger ports
and sherries
924
00:40:23,046 --> 00:40:25,173
because Australians need to
drink a little courage
925
00:40:25,215 --> 00:40:26,925
just to go outside.
926
00:40:26,967 --> 00:40:29,302
But today Australia's
wine production spans
927
00:40:29,344 --> 00:40:31,138
all kinds of wines,
928
00:40:31,179 --> 00:40:34,307
which is enjoyed by
all kinds of deadly spiders.
929
00:40:39,437 --> 00:40:43,275
Everything was changing
in the middle 17th century.
930
00:40:43,316 --> 00:40:46,361
Descartes was extolling
the virtues of reason.
931
00:40:46,403 --> 00:40:48,864
Isaac Newton published
his Principia,
932
00:40:48,905 --> 00:40:50,907
including the laws of motion.
933
00:40:50,949 --> 00:40:54,953
And that verve for deliberation
came also to winemaking.
934
00:40:54,995 --> 00:40:57,873
And with it some new techniques
for storing wine
935
00:40:57,914 --> 00:41:01,543
with corks and bottles
and a creepy old man.
936
00:41:02,669 --> 00:41:06,047
As all this was happening,
a man named Antoine Lavoisier
937
00:41:06,089 --> 00:41:08,466
did something
absolutely brilliant.
938
00:41:08,508 --> 00:41:11,386
He married his wife
Mary Anne Lavoisier.
939
00:41:11,428 --> 00:41:12,888
Together, they went on
940
00:41:12,929 --> 00:41:14,973
an unbelievable tear
through science,
941
00:41:15,015 --> 00:41:18,143
shaping the way that we look at
the world to this day.
942
00:41:18,685 --> 00:41:21,229
Most importantly
for our story though,
943
00:41:21,271 --> 00:41:24,566
the Lavoisiers
brought science to wine.
944
00:41:25,025 --> 00:41:26,860
Their contributions
would be built on
945
00:41:26,902 --> 00:41:30,822
by people like Adamo Fabbroni
and later Louis Pasteur.
946
00:41:31,448 --> 00:41:35,660
Pasteur showed that whatever
is wrong or right with a wine,
947
00:41:35,702 --> 00:41:40,081
the reasons are likely down
to living things called germs.
948
00:41:42,209 --> 00:41:46,254
Fermentation, germs.
Wine going sour, germs.
949
00:41:46,296 --> 00:41:49,216
That weird smell in the parlor,
parlor germs.
950
00:41:49,799 --> 00:41:52,510
Pasteur loved germs.
951
00:41:53,345 --> 00:41:55,722
He loved them so much,
he named his son Germs.
952
00:41:57,557 --> 00:41:59,226
Okay, that's not true.
953
00:41:59,267 --> 00:42:01,770
But he did realize that
germs were responsible
954
00:42:01,811 --> 00:42:04,940
for a lot of
disease and decay,
955
00:42:04,981 --> 00:42:08,693
which led him to try heating
liquids above a temperature
956
00:42:08,735 --> 00:42:11,863
that the germs could tolerate,
thus killing them off.
957
00:42:11,905 --> 00:42:16,618
This process is known today
as heating stuff up,
958
00:42:16,660 --> 00:42:18,161
but it's also known
as pasteurization.
959
00:42:18,203 --> 00:42:20,205
And you've probably seen
the word pasteurized
960
00:42:20,247 --> 00:42:21,706
if you've ever seen milk.
961
00:42:22,165 --> 00:42:24,960
Though wine
isn't typically pasteurized,
962
00:42:25,001 --> 00:42:27,963
Pasteur's work explained
the fermentation process
963
00:42:28,004 --> 00:42:30,840
and helped make better wine,
that lasted longer.
964
00:42:31,299 --> 00:42:33,677
And with the use
of more modern bottles and corks
965
00:42:33,718 --> 00:42:37,138
by the middle 19th century,
wine really took off.
966
00:42:37,764 --> 00:42:39,432
I mean,
it was only 400 years ago
967
00:42:39,474 --> 00:42:41,226
that we figured out how to use,
how to use--
968
00:42:41,268 --> 00:42:43,436
how to manufacture corks.
969
00:42:44,145 --> 00:42:46,022
And how to actually--
970
00:42:46,064 --> 00:42:48,108
It's not just manufacturing
corks and doing it consistently
971
00:42:48,149 --> 00:42:51,486
because they did know how to--
the properties of cork
972
00:42:51,528 --> 00:42:53,154
and it was good properties.
973
00:42:53,655 --> 00:42:56,074
But actually manufacturing
the bottles,
974
00:42:56,116 --> 00:42:59,244
the same shape every time
because you have to have
975
00:42:59,286 --> 00:43:02,372
standard corks
and standard bottles.
976
00:43:02,414 --> 00:43:05,875
That was a huge technological
leap forward back then.
977
00:43:06,418 --> 00:43:08,336
[Jim] But also
because of these advances,
978
00:43:08,378 --> 00:43:11,089
it became possible
to age wine.
979
00:43:12,424 --> 00:43:15,719
It allows, I think, for a wine
to show its true potential
980
00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:19,264
or fall apart
and be destroyed very easily.
981
00:43:19,306 --> 00:43:21,433
I think it's a delicate
balance with aging.
982
00:43:21,474 --> 00:43:23,601
[Jim]
But trouble was fermenting.
983
00:43:24,144 --> 00:43:26,271
A shitty insect
called Phylloxera
984
00:43:26,313 --> 00:43:28,732
was destroying
European vine roots.
985
00:43:28,773 --> 00:43:30,400
-[insect buzzing]
-Thankfully though,
986
00:43:30,442 --> 00:43:33,194
American vine roots were
resistant to pests.
987
00:43:34,362 --> 00:43:38,658
Grafting a vine of one grape
onto the root of another
988
00:43:38,700 --> 00:43:41,119
grows the top
of the vine's grapes,
989
00:43:41,161 --> 00:43:42,954
not the roots grapes.
990
00:43:43,455 --> 00:43:46,124
The dying European roots
were dug up,
991
00:43:46,166 --> 00:43:47,625
American ones planted,
992
00:43:47,667 --> 00:43:49,336
European vines grafted
onto them,
993
00:43:49,377 --> 00:43:51,171
European wine was saved.
994
00:43:51,212 --> 00:43:52,964
-Easy.
-[crowd cheering]
995
00:43:53,006 --> 00:43:55,884
Except, of course,
it wasn't nearly that easy.
996
00:43:55,925 --> 00:43:57,969
[crowd booing]
997
00:43:58,011 --> 00:44:00,930
It took decades of research
and development
998
00:44:00,972 --> 00:44:02,807
to match roots to soil.
999
00:44:02,849 --> 00:44:05,352
And in many cases, the solution
was as bad as the problem.
1000
00:44:06,144 --> 00:44:08,271
But European wineries
survived
1001
00:44:08,313 --> 00:44:10,148
just in time for many of them
1002
00:44:10,190 --> 00:44:12,609
to be destroyed
during World War I.
1003
00:44:13,860 --> 00:44:16,196
After World War I
and World War II,
1004
00:44:16,237 --> 00:44:17,864
lots of things were different.
1005
00:44:17,906 --> 00:44:19,574
In parts of the world,
water was cleaner.
1006
00:44:20,075 --> 00:44:23,495
It was no longer necessary
to drink wine or beer
1007
00:44:23,536 --> 00:44:26,122
merely because
they were the safest beverages.
1008
00:44:26,164 --> 00:44:27,957
The popularity
of spirits and cocktails
1009
00:44:27,999 --> 00:44:30,335
also affected
wine's popularity.
1010
00:44:30,377 --> 00:44:32,045
But at the same time,
1011
00:44:32,087 --> 00:44:35,715
wine was experiencing
a big uptick in quality.
1012
00:44:35,757 --> 00:44:37,550
People valued it more.
1013
00:44:37,592 --> 00:44:41,596
New laws and regulations emerged
to categorize and classify wine.
1014
00:44:42,514 --> 00:44:45,350
The only problem is that
in order to classify something,
1015
00:44:45,392 --> 00:44:48,061
you need to come up
with some guiding principles.
1016
00:44:48,645 --> 00:44:50,021
But what happens
1017
00:44:50,063 --> 00:44:51,689
if nobody can agree
what those are?
1018
00:44:52,440 --> 00:44:56,861
In Italy, the Denominazione
di Origine Controllata or DOC
1019
00:44:56,903 --> 00:44:59,906
decided to freeze
the development of Italian wine
1020
00:44:59,948 --> 00:45:01,741
as it was at the time
1021
00:45:01,783 --> 00:45:03,368
rather than letting
wine producers
1022
00:45:03,410 --> 00:45:05,703
continue to employ
new techniques
1023
00:45:05,745 --> 00:45:07,038
coming to the fore.
1024
00:45:08,498 --> 00:45:10,708
To which some of those Italian
wine producers responded,
1025
00:45:10,750 --> 00:45:13,294
and I quote, "Vaffanculo!"
1026
00:45:14,379 --> 00:45:19,426
♪
1027
00:45:29,227 --> 00:45:32,063
[Jim] Some winemakers,
particularly the Tuscan region,
1028
00:45:32,105 --> 00:45:35,608
struck out on their own
outside the classifications
1029
00:45:35,650 --> 00:45:38,987
and made outstanding wines
which are legendary today.
1030
00:45:39,028 --> 00:45:40,572
That's great for them,
1031
00:45:40,613 --> 00:45:42,991
but it made
the DOC look a little bit dumb.
1032
00:45:43,032 --> 00:45:45,827
The battle between the DOC
and the rogue winemakers
1033
00:45:45,869 --> 00:45:47,662
got sorted out
to some degree
1034
00:45:47,704 --> 00:45:50,290
with an expansion
of Italian wine classification
1035
00:45:50,331 --> 00:45:51,749
in the 1990s.
1036
00:45:51,791 --> 00:45:53,710
But the result,
1037
00:45:53,751 --> 00:45:55,628
and this is true of nearly
all classification systems,
1038
00:45:55,670 --> 00:45:57,255
is pretty confusing.
1039
00:45:57,714 --> 00:46:00,049
A guy could spend a lifetime
1040
00:46:00,091 --> 00:46:03,428
laboriously purchasing
one wine after another,
1041
00:46:03,470 --> 00:46:05,722
opening it,
sharing it with friends,
1042
00:46:05,763 --> 00:46:07,932
left to his own
devices to decide
1043
00:46:07,974 --> 00:46:09,893
whether he likes it or not.
1044
00:46:09,934 --> 00:46:12,145
Oof, you know, if I must.
1045
00:46:12,729 --> 00:46:14,772
To be fair
to the classification systems,
1046
00:46:14,814 --> 00:46:17,066
even if the early days
were rocky,
1047
00:46:17,108 --> 00:46:19,777
and even if the resulting system
is confusing,
1048
00:46:19,819 --> 00:46:22,030
someone's got to
keep their eye on things.
1049
00:46:22,071 --> 00:46:24,991
You know, if I grew grapes
and I sold them for a profit,
1050
00:46:25,033 --> 00:46:27,535
I'd be trying to think of ways
I could grow more grapes
1051
00:46:27,577 --> 00:46:28,745
for more profit.
1052
00:46:28,786 --> 00:46:30,455
Anyone would.
1053
00:46:30,497 --> 00:46:33,041
The problem is that
maximizing production
1054
00:46:33,082 --> 00:46:35,877
doesn't necessarily
maximize quality.
1055
00:46:35,919 --> 00:46:37,337
If quality were to slip,
1056
00:46:37,378 --> 00:46:39,714
overall interest in wine
would too,
1057
00:46:39,756 --> 00:46:41,174
everyone could suffer.
1058
00:46:42,759 --> 00:46:44,761
This conflict goes on today
and presumably will forever
1059
00:46:44,802 --> 00:46:46,346
and is getting weirder
all the time.
1060
00:46:46,804 --> 00:46:49,015
-[Jim] Is wine too complicated?
-No.
1061
00:46:49,891 --> 00:46:51,351
For me? Or for--
1062
00:46:52,143 --> 00:46:53,937
for that guy?
1063
00:46:53,978 --> 00:46:56,231
I think we-- I think we try
to make it too complicated.
1064
00:46:56,272 --> 00:46:57,565
It doesn't have to be
complicated.
1065
00:46:57,607 --> 00:46:59,567
It is complicated,
and it can be,
1066
00:46:59,609 --> 00:47:01,110
there's a rabbit hole,
there's--
1067
00:47:01,152 --> 00:47:02,654
there's stacks and stacks
and stacks of books
1068
00:47:02,695 --> 00:47:04,030
that you can read about it.
1069
00:47:04,072 --> 00:47:05,323
But I think
at the end of the day,
1070
00:47:05,365 --> 00:47:06,449
do you like it?
1071
00:47:08,034 --> 00:47:09,744
The end.
1072
00:47:09,786 --> 00:47:12,413
You know, we've taken the time
to educate ourselves,
1073
00:47:12,455 --> 00:47:14,457
not because it's our duty,
1074
00:47:14,499 --> 00:47:16,334
but because
I want to learn more.
1075
00:47:16,376 --> 00:47:17,877
So if I'm gonna learn more,
1076
00:47:17,919 --> 00:47:19,379
I'm gonna make sure
that I share it more.
1077
00:47:20,255 --> 00:47:21,756
And that's
the great part about wine
1078
00:47:21,798 --> 00:47:23,925
is there's
still so much learning
1079
00:47:23,967 --> 00:47:25,760
that can happen.
1080
00:47:25,802 --> 00:47:30,014
Nobody says when--
when Lady Gaga releases her--
1081
00:47:30,056 --> 00:47:31,933
her new song, nobody says,
1082
00:47:31,975 --> 00:47:34,185
"You know, if you took a class
in music appreciation,
1083
00:47:34,227 --> 00:47:36,688
you would get
so much more out of this song."
1084
00:47:37,438 --> 00:47:40,441
It's just not what happens,
but somehow we think
1085
00:47:40,483 --> 00:47:42,986
people need to get educated
and the truth is they don't,
1086
00:47:43,027 --> 00:47:44,696
they need to
have fun with wine.
1087
00:47:44,737 --> 00:47:46,072
And once you start having fun
with wine,
1088
00:47:46,114 --> 00:47:47,282
you'll be fine.
1089
00:47:47,323 --> 00:47:48,950
You know,
wine is stigmatized
1090
00:47:48,992 --> 00:47:51,619
and it has been for,
well, a long time.
1091
00:47:51,661 --> 00:47:52,787
It certainly is now.
1092
00:47:52,829 --> 00:47:54,539
And, um...
1093
00:47:55,915 --> 00:47:58,001
I-- I think--
I think there's room
1094
00:47:58,042 --> 00:48:00,128
to take it
a little less seriously.
1095
00:48:02,505 --> 00:48:04,966
[friend] Okay. Okay.
1096
00:48:05,008 --> 00:48:09,012
Just-- if you could just,
maybe a little bit more relaxed.
1097
00:48:09,053 --> 00:48:11,222
Like if you-- it's just, like,
the end of the day,
1098
00:48:11,264 --> 00:48:12,640
you're taking
your shoes off.
1099
00:48:12,682 --> 00:48:13,975
Yeah, shoes.
1100
00:48:14,017 --> 00:48:15,643
Cuddled up
with my robe and cats.
1101
00:48:15,685 --> 00:48:18,062
[chuckles] I'm so relaxed.
1102
00:48:18,104 --> 00:48:20,356
[friend] What's going on
with your eye there?
1103
00:48:20,398 --> 00:48:21,524
My eye?
1104
00:48:22,066 --> 00:48:25,069
Oh, is it? I'm sorry.
Uh... [laughs]
1105
00:48:25,111 --> 00:48:27,405
-[friend] [indistinct]
-I-- I'm-- I'm relaxed.
1106
00:48:27,447 --> 00:48:29,824
[laughs maniacally]
So relaxed.
1107
00:48:29,866 --> 00:48:32,744
So, yeah, relaxed.
1108
00:48:32,785 --> 00:48:34,329
-[friend] Shake it all out.
-Mm-hmm.
1109
00:48:34,370 --> 00:48:35,496
-[friend] Shake it.
-Yeah.
1110
00:48:35,538 --> 00:48:36,581
[friend]
Maybe a little more.
1111
00:48:36,623 --> 00:48:38,166
Uh, I'm good.
1112
00:48:38,207 --> 00:48:39,626
[friend]
And maybe the hands?
1113
00:48:39,667 --> 00:48:42,837
Oh, sorry, sorry.
It's a nervous...
1114
00:48:42,879 --> 00:48:45,590
-[friend] Aha!
-Oh, you got me.
1115
00:48:46,090 --> 00:48:49,093
[Jim] I think we can
understand why our experts
1116
00:48:49,135 --> 00:48:51,596
would say that
wine isn't too complicated
1117
00:48:51,638 --> 00:48:53,056
and they're right that
1118
00:48:53,097 --> 00:48:54,724
the only thing that matters
is if you like it.
1119
00:48:54,766 --> 00:48:56,059
But if you're someone
1120
00:48:56,100 --> 00:48:57,685
who wants to get into it
a little bit more,
1121
00:48:57,727 --> 00:48:59,312
it can be frustrating.
1122
00:48:59,896 --> 00:49:02,065
Think of it like getting into
a new band.
1123
00:49:02,106 --> 00:49:03,608
How do you do that?
1124
00:49:03,650 --> 00:49:05,068
Well, you hear one song
that you like
1125
00:49:05,109 --> 00:49:06,486
and then you spread out
1126
00:49:06,527 --> 00:49:08,446
through
that artist's catalog
1127
00:49:08,488 --> 00:49:10,948
and then you look for
other similar artists
1128
00:49:10,990 --> 00:49:12,992
and then your feed fills up
with songs
1129
00:49:13,034 --> 00:49:14,577
you can't bear to listen to
1130
00:49:14,619 --> 00:49:16,621
because the algorithm
is a disease.
1131
00:49:16,663 --> 00:49:19,040
Now, imagine
if your city, state,
1132
00:49:19,082 --> 00:49:21,334
and federal governments
all put controls
1133
00:49:21,376 --> 00:49:23,878
on what bands
were available at what time
1134
00:49:23,920 --> 00:49:26,255
with overlapping
and conflicting laws
1135
00:49:26,297 --> 00:49:27,882
all over the place.
1136
00:49:27,924 --> 00:49:29,092
As soon as you found
one song you like,
1137
00:49:29,133 --> 00:49:30,635
you'd never see it again.
1138
00:49:30,677 --> 00:49:32,929
That's how wine feels
to me sometimes.
1139
00:49:33,763 --> 00:49:35,181
Hello.
1140
00:49:35,223 --> 00:49:36,891
Hi, I'm the owner
of this fine wine shop.
1141
00:49:36,933 --> 00:49:38,267
Can I help you
find anything?
1142
00:49:38,309 --> 00:49:39,727
I love a good cab.
1143
00:49:39,769 --> 00:49:41,396
-Oh, of course.
-I was looking for that--
1144
00:49:41,437 --> 00:49:42,939
Was there anything specific
that you're looking for?
1145
00:49:42,980 --> 00:49:44,399
Yeah. As long as
it's a cabernet and drinkable,
1146
00:49:44,440 --> 00:49:45,692
I'll have it.
1147
00:49:45,733 --> 00:49:47,151
Oh, no, no, no, no,
I really--
1148
00:49:47,193 --> 00:49:48,653
I'm just gonna rip
this band-aid right off.
1149
00:49:48,695 --> 00:49:51,656
-What?
-Uh, cabernet doesn't exist.
1150
00:49:51,698 --> 00:49:53,366
The whole grape?
1151
00:49:53,408 --> 00:49:55,451
I'm telling you,
I will be honest with you.
1152
00:49:55,493 --> 00:49:59,372
I assure you,
cabernets are not a real thing.
1153
00:49:59,414 --> 00:50:00,707
You know what?
1154
00:50:00,748 --> 00:50:02,083
I heard rumors of that
on Reddit.
1155
00:50:02,125 --> 00:50:03,376
What? How did I not know?
1156
00:50:03,418 --> 00:50:04,585
I mean, I always said it--
1157
00:50:04,627 --> 00:50:05,712
Big Wine
doesn't want you to know.
1158
00:50:06,921 --> 00:50:09,882
Well, what about this?
It's empty.
1159
00:50:10,341 --> 00:50:14,095
So that's more, uh,
of our, uh, air wine.
1160
00:50:15,847 --> 00:50:17,223
[Jim]
How did it get this way?
1161
00:50:17,765 --> 00:50:19,851
Well, my friends,
let me tell you about
1162
00:50:19,892 --> 00:50:22,019
a little thing called
prohibition.
1163
00:50:25,398 --> 00:50:28,776
In 1920,
after passing the 18th Amendment
1164
00:50:28,818 --> 00:50:32,780
and the Volstead Act,
the US went completely dry.
1165
00:50:32,822 --> 00:50:34,615
To this day,
the debate rages over
1166
00:50:34,657 --> 00:50:36,617
whether it was a good idea
1167
00:50:36,659 --> 00:50:39,120
and whether
the effects were positive
1168
00:50:39,162 --> 00:50:40,913
but it wasn't
and they weren't.
1169
00:50:41,789 --> 00:50:46,252
Now, given that I'm neither
a physician nor an economist,
1170
00:50:46,294 --> 00:50:50,256
I am not qualified to make
the following two assertions.
1171
00:50:50,298 --> 00:50:52,049
-But since I'm a comedy writer--
-[program interruption beeping]
1172
00:50:52,091 --> 00:50:54,927
If health
is your primary concern,
1173
00:50:54,969 --> 00:51:00,057
you should avoid alcohol
and sugar and sitting down.
1174
00:51:01,851 --> 00:51:04,604
-[explosion booms]
-[woman cries out]
1175
00:51:04,645 --> 00:51:06,522
Now having said that,
please know
1176
00:51:06,564 --> 00:51:09,066
if you're currently sitting down
enjoying sugar and alcohol,
1177
00:51:09,108 --> 00:51:11,277
you are my people
and I love you.
1178
00:51:11,319 --> 00:51:14,322
Banning something for which
there is still supply and demand
1179
00:51:14,363 --> 00:51:15,907
will probably go wrong.
1180
00:51:16,866 --> 00:51:19,660
Because booze
is relatively easily made,
1181
00:51:19,702 --> 00:51:21,746
the US had a very hard time
1182
00:51:21,788 --> 00:51:25,374
controlling the supply
of alcohol during prohibition.
1183
00:51:26,000 --> 00:51:27,877
Imagine
if they tried to ban something,
1184
00:51:27,919 --> 00:51:29,587
a plant, for example,
1185
00:51:29,629 --> 00:51:31,589
that grows
right out of the ground
1186
00:51:31,631 --> 00:51:35,009
almost anywhere and requires
very little post-processing.
1187
00:51:35,051 --> 00:51:38,095
I mean, if you can, imagine.
1188
00:51:38,137 --> 00:51:40,306
[woman shouting] Yay!
1189
00:51:40,348 --> 00:51:41,974
[Jim]
The 21st Amendment repealed
1190
00:51:42,016 --> 00:51:44,310
the 18th Amendment
and ended prohibition.
1191
00:51:44,352 --> 00:51:46,103
Before prohibition,
1192
00:51:46,145 --> 00:51:49,357
there was such a thing
as tied houses which were bars,
1193
00:51:49,398 --> 00:51:51,984
owned and operated
by the Big US Brewers.
1194
00:51:52,777 --> 00:51:55,655
Imagine the way the US suburbs
are carpeted today
1195
00:51:55,696 --> 00:51:58,407
with fast food restaurants
all clustered together
1196
00:51:58,449 --> 00:52:00,493
and you'll have some idea
of how common
1197
00:52:00,535 --> 00:52:03,579
and huddled together
the tied houses used to be.
1198
00:52:03,621 --> 00:52:06,123
We didn't want to go back
to the tied houses system.
1199
00:52:06,165 --> 00:52:09,126
So after prohibition,
we came up with something else.
1200
00:52:09,168 --> 00:52:11,420
The three-tier system.
1201
00:52:11,462 --> 00:52:15,550
Importers slash producers,
distributors and retailers.
1202
00:52:16,843 --> 00:52:18,803
In some states,
the state government operates
1203
00:52:18,845 --> 00:52:21,722
as some of the tiers,
and counties can also have
1204
00:52:21,764 --> 00:52:24,183
their own sale
and distribution laws.
1205
00:52:24,225 --> 00:52:26,644
Distributors territories
sometimes include
1206
00:52:26,686 --> 00:52:29,105
multiple counties
or parts of counties.
1207
00:52:29,146 --> 00:52:31,107
On the other hand,
to be fair to the folks
1208
00:52:31,148 --> 00:52:33,901
who came up with this system
almost 100 years ago,
1209
00:52:33,943 --> 00:52:36,362
well, it was almost
100 years ago.
1210
00:52:36,404 --> 00:52:38,281
Things are different now.
1211
00:52:39,824 --> 00:52:43,035
A great problem
that we have today is that
1212
00:52:43,077 --> 00:52:45,079
all wine is pretty good.
1213
00:52:45,121 --> 00:52:48,916
Because of food safety standards
and equipment advances,
1214
00:52:48,958 --> 00:52:52,044
the most modestly priced wines
year-round
1215
00:52:52,086 --> 00:52:54,547
are on par with the best
anyone ever drank
1216
00:52:54,589 --> 00:52:56,132
just a few generations ago.
1217
00:52:56,716 --> 00:52:58,676
I had a hard time
getting a handle
1218
00:52:58,718 --> 00:53:01,554
on what aging wine
did for the taste.
1219
00:53:03,222 --> 00:53:04,849
Of course, as always,
1220
00:53:04,891 --> 00:53:07,101
your local wine expert
can help you here.
1221
00:53:07,143 --> 00:53:10,897
But there's also a wine region
that has made it very simple,
1222
00:53:11,898 --> 00:53:12,940
Rioja.
1223
00:53:14,275 --> 00:53:16,444
Rioja's four color-coded
classification levels
1224
00:53:16,485 --> 00:53:19,906
make it easy to put together
a group of bottles
1225
00:53:19,947 --> 00:53:22,658
by the same maker,
from the same region,
1226
00:53:22,700 --> 00:53:24,869
using roughly
the same techniques.
1227
00:53:24,911 --> 00:53:27,914
So the effect of aging
becomes more clear.
1228
00:53:27,955 --> 00:53:29,749
I think that, you know,
one of the benefits
1229
00:53:29,790 --> 00:53:31,751
of understanding
the Spanish system,
1230
00:53:31,792 --> 00:53:33,878
and even
at its most basic level,
1231
00:53:33,920 --> 00:53:37,340
the Rioja system,
is that it's very easy,
1232
00:53:37,381 --> 00:53:39,133
if you know
those three levels,
1233
00:53:39,175 --> 00:53:42,178
to know that your wine
has been aged in oak.
1234
00:53:42,803 --> 00:53:46,432
And has also been required
to have been aged in the bottle
1235
00:53:46,474 --> 00:53:47,558
for a period of time.
1236
00:53:47,600 --> 00:53:49,310
[Jim] So if you, like me,
1237
00:53:49,352 --> 00:53:53,731
often taste red wine and think,
"Yes, that's red wine,"
1238
00:53:53,773 --> 00:53:56,275
lining up a few bottles
like this is a great way
1239
00:53:56,317 --> 00:53:58,903
to get a foothold
in being able to taste aging.
1240
00:53:58,945 --> 00:54:01,989
Let's dig a little bit deeper
into Rioja's history.
1241
00:54:02,490 --> 00:54:05,034
We've mentioned
the early Mediterranean peoples
1242
00:54:05,076 --> 00:54:06,744
like the Greeks and the Romans.
1243
00:54:06,786 --> 00:54:08,955
And Rioja's
earliest wine-growing history
1244
00:54:08,996 --> 00:54:11,374
can be traced back
to them as well.
1245
00:54:11,415 --> 00:54:12,959
Rioja has been producing wine
1246
00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:14,502
since the Phoenicians
were there.
1247
00:54:14,543 --> 00:54:16,253
Around
the middle of the 18th century,
1248
00:54:16,295 --> 00:54:19,507
you had a guy who actually
went to Bordeaux.
1249
00:54:21,509 --> 00:54:24,512
And he saw that
they were using barrels there.
1250
00:54:26,931 --> 00:54:28,015
[glass shattering]
1251
00:54:28,057 --> 00:54:29,934
They came back to Rioja,
1252
00:54:29,976 --> 00:54:32,061
and because
there were restrictions
1253
00:54:32,103 --> 00:54:35,731
on how much they could charge
for wine at the time,
1254
00:54:35,773 --> 00:54:38,567
it became too cost-prohibitive
for them to actually be able
1255
00:54:38,609 --> 00:54:40,069
to incorporate
the use of barrels
1256
00:54:40,111 --> 00:54:41,278
because
barrels are very expensive.
1257
00:54:41,320 --> 00:54:42,822
I mean, they are today.
1258
00:54:42,863 --> 00:54:44,156
But even back then,
even more so.
1259
00:54:44,198 --> 00:54:46,033
And so that never happened.
1260
00:54:46,075 --> 00:54:48,828
[Jim] So Rioja's first
flirtation with oak barrels
1261
00:54:48,869 --> 00:54:50,496
didn't work out long-term,
1262
00:54:50,538 --> 00:54:52,665
but it would
by no means be the last.
1263
00:54:52,707 --> 00:54:54,333
About 50 years later,
1264
00:54:54,375 --> 00:54:57,086
there was a small
disagreement in Spain.
1265
00:54:57,128 --> 00:54:59,338
It was about who should
ascend to the throne
1266
00:54:59,380 --> 00:55:02,925
-when King Ferdinand VII died.
-[Ferdinand's portrait groans]
1267
00:55:02,967 --> 00:55:06,262
Ferdinand left instructions
on how he should be succeeded.
1268
00:55:06,303 --> 00:55:10,850
But his brother, Don Carlos said
those instructions were invalid
1269
00:55:10,891 --> 00:55:14,020
because Ferdinand's
proposed heir was female.
1270
00:55:14,061 --> 00:55:15,563
[woman screams]
1271
00:55:15,604 --> 00:55:17,440
Ferdinand's daughter,
Isabella II,
1272
00:55:17,481 --> 00:55:19,442
did indeed rise to the throne.
1273
00:55:19,483 --> 00:55:22,528
But since she was just
three years old at the time,
1274
00:55:22,570 --> 00:55:25,448
the affairs of state
were handled by a regent.
1275
00:55:25,948 --> 00:55:28,576
One of those
was Baldomero Espartero.
1276
00:55:29,618 --> 00:55:33,789
Espartero defended Isabella's
claim to the throne vigorously
1277
00:55:33,831 --> 00:55:35,791
against her enemies,
the Carlists.
1278
00:55:36,375 --> 00:55:39,420
He was so vigorous in fact,
that when Isabella was of age
1279
00:55:39,462 --> 00:55:41,422
to take full control
of her throne,
1280
00:55:41,464 --> 00:55:45,760
Espartero decamped to London
to cool off for a few years.
1281
00:55:45,801 --> 00:55:48,012
He took his aide Marietta
with him.
1282
00:55:48,804 --> 00:55:51,390
While in London,
Espartero and Marrieta saw
1283
00:55:51,432 --> 00:55:54,018
how much wine Bordeaux
was selling in England.
1284
00:55:54,060 --> 00:55:56,437
As landowners
and winemakers themselves,
1285
00:55:56,479 --> 00:55:57,730
they saw opportunity.
1286
00:55:58,355 --> 00:56:00,399
So, Marrieta
went to Bordeaux to learn
1287
00:56:00,441 --> 00:56:02,777
and bring that knowledge
back to Rioja.
1288
00:56:02,818 --> 00:56:05,321
The result
was a big jump in quality.
1289
00:56:06,113 --> 00:56:08,949
And then they were learning
winemaking techniques
1290
00:56:08,991 --> 00:56:10,951
from the-- the Bordelaise.
1291
00:56:10,993 --> 00:56:12,495
And when they came back,
1292
00:56:12,536 --> 00:56:14,538
that's when
they really instituted
1293
00:56:14,580 --> 00:56:17,708
um, and really started
to see more of the usage of oak.
1294
00:56:18,292 --> 00:56:19,960
[Jim] Rioja got
another lucky break
1295
00:56:20,002 --> 00:56:21,796
in the middle 19th century
1296
00:56:21,837 --> 00:56:24,298
when their vines fared well
against Phylloxera,
1297
00:56:24,340 --> 00:56:26,300
compared
to neighboring regions.
1298
00:56:26,342 --> 00:56:28,302
Lots of wine producers
from Bordeaux,
1299
00:56:28,344 --> 00:56:30,721
where Phylloxera halted
nearly everything,
1300
00:56:30,763 --> 00:56:33,891
moved to Rioja and the industry
grew even further.
1301
00:56:34,391 --> 00:56:37,686
Then you saw a lot of winemakers
from France
1302
00:56:37,728 --> 00:56:39,438
that actually
crossed the border.
1303
00:56:39,480 --> 00:56:41,482
A lot of Bordelaise
in particular
1304
00:56:41,524 --> 00:56:43,359
that crossed the border
1305
00:56:43,400 --> 00:56:45,319
and brought techniques
with them.
1306
00:56:45,361 --> 00:56:48,030
And of course, one of their
most important techniques
1307
00:56:48,072 --> 00:56:49,865
were-- was the use of barrel.
So that's--
1308
00:56:49,907 --> 00:56:52,201
that's why you see
this really strong connection
1309
00:56:52,243 --> 00:56:55,913
between Bordeaux
and-- and-- and Rioja.
1310
00:56:55,955 --> 00:56:58,874
[Jim] As usual
in 20th-century Western Europe,
1311
00:56:58,916 --> 00:57:01,669
everything was interrupted
by a couple of wars.
1312
00:57:01,710 --> 00:57:04,630
But in recent decades,
Rioja has, again,
1313
00:57:04,672 --> 00:57:07,883
clawed its way back
to the forefront of wine.
1314
00:57:07,925 --> 00:57:11,554
♪
1315
00:57:20,437 --> 00:57:22,606
[upbeat jazz music]
1316
00:57:31,115 --> 00:57:33,367
[Jim] When we last
talked about the US,
1317
00:57:33,409 --> 00:57:34,869
it was providing rootstock
1318
00:57:34,910 --> 00:57:37,163
to help keep
European wines alive
1319
00:57:37,204 --> 00:57:41,125
under the threat of Phylloxera
at the end of the 19th century.
1320
00:57:42,334 --> 00:57:44,420
A few decades after that
came prohibition,
1321
00:57:44,461 --> 00:57:46,505
which was
an unqualified success.
1322
00:57:48,007 --> 00:57:49,758
When prohibition was lifted,
1323
00:57:49,800 --> 00:57:51,635
the American wine business
could return to normal.
1324
00:57:51,677 --> 00:57:53,470
[overwhelming buzzing]
1325
00:57:53,512 --> 00:57:57,016
But it experienced
a moment of existential ennui.
1326
00:57:58,976 --> 00:58:01,645
Sure, the shadow
of prohibition was gone,
1327
00:58:01,687 --> 00:58:04,690
but the long shadow
of the great European wines
1328
00:58:04,732 --> 00:58:08,194
remained and the US vintners
were still in it.
1329
00:58:09,778 --> 00:58:11,989
American wine
at the time was a mess.
1330
00:58:13,032 --> 00:58:16,410
The work that the Cistercians
had done for Burgundy and wine
1331
00:58:16,452 --> 00:58:18,204
back in the 12th century
1332
00:58:18,245 --> 00:58:20,247
had never been done
in California.
1333
00:58:20,289 --> 00:58:23,667
But to be fair,
California is huge.
1334
00:58:24,835 --> 00:58:27,504
Way too big
to traipse up and down it,
1335
00:58:27,546 --> 00:58:30,466
picking the grapes, studying
the soil and the climate,
1336
00:58:30,507 --> 00:58:33,510
making hundreds,
thousands of batches of wine,
1337
00:58:33,552 --> 00:58:35,346
and cataloging all results.
1338
00:58:35,888 --> 00:58:39,391
But in 1935 Albert Winkler
and Maynard Amerine
1339
00:58:39,433 --> 00:58:41,310
went on and did it anyway.
1340
00:58:43,062 --> 00:58:46,315
World War II had just ended
and while people liked to drink,
1341
00:58:46,357 --> 00:58:49,652
they were also very familiar
with European doings.
1342
00:58:49,693 --> 00:58:51,153
Winkler advocated for a way
1343
00:58:51,195 --> 00:58:53,781
to break the European mold
in America.
1344
00:58:54,240 --> 00:58:56,283
Why should American
wine producers
1345
00:58:56,325 --> 00:58:57,868
be producing a Bordeaux?
1346
00:58:58,410 --> 00:59:01,205
Why not find
the best grape for your land
1347
00:59:01,247 --> 00:59:04,166
then make the best wine
you can from that grape?
1348
00:59:04,625 --> 00:59:08,087
Maybe instead of Loir drinkers
or Tuscan drinkers,
1349
00:59:08,128 --> 00:59:09,922
people could become
Chardonnay drinkers
1350
00:59:09,964 --> 00:59:11,465
or Pinot Noir?
1351
00:59:11,507 --> 00:59:14,802
Maybe even,
and I recommended it, Merlot.
1352
00:59:15,594 --> 00:59:18,764
Why should anyone who loves
Oregon Pinots
1353
00:59:18,806 --> 00:59:21,308
know even where Oregon is?
1354
00:59:21,850 --> 00:59:24,311
All you got to know...
1355
00:59:24,353 --> 00:59:25,854
is that you liked it.
1356
00:59:25,896 --> 00:59:27,898
[Jim] It would be decades
1357
00:59:27,940 --> 00:59:30,234
before the work Winkler
and Amerine did
1358
00:59:30,276 --> 00:59:32,069
was emphatically proven right
1359
00:59:32,111 --> 00:59:35,114
at the Judgment of Paris
when two American wines
1360
00:59:35,155 --> 00:59:38,784
were judged the winners
alongside the best of France.
1361
00:59:38,826 --> 00:59:40,452
Not much has been
said about the event,
1362
00:59:40,494 --> 00:59:42,079
so we'll leave it alone,
1363
00:59:42,121 --> 00:59:44,999
but for sure American wine
found its voice
1364
00:59:45,040 --> 00:59:47,876
and was at last
in full song.
1365
00:59:48,669 --> 00:59:51,505
So that more or less
brings us up to date.
1366
00:59:51,547 --> 00:59:52,965
Now, let's talk about
where we're going
1367
00:59:53,007 --> 00:59:54,091
and what we've learned.
1368
00:59:54,925 --> 00:59:56,260
I'm a little bit
worried about wine.
1369
00:59:56,719 --> 00:59:58,304
I don't think
it's going away,
1370
00:59:58,345 --> 01:00:00,639
but I do think
the industry faces big changes.
1371
01:00:01,765 --> 01:00:03,309
Wine doesn't happen overnight.
1372
01:00:03,350 --> 01:00:04,768
You can't just, like,
put some grapes in the ground
1373
01:00:04,810 --> 01:00:06,353
and then the next thing
you know,
1374
01:00:06,395 --> 01:00:07,896
you-- you have, like,
a thing that you can sell
1375
01:00:07,938 --> 01:00:09,773
and we can drink it.
1376
01:00:09,815 --> 01:00:11,608
You know, it takes years
and years and years
1377
01:00:11,650 --> 01:00:13,485
to build up that
and that's gonna be--
1378
01:00:13,527 --> 01:00:15,571
that's gonna be crushed
for a lot of people.
1379
01:00:16,530 --> 01:00:19,908
The-- the places
that haven't been doing the best
1380
01:00:19,950 --> 01:00:22,036
will-- will start
to come into the forefront.
1381
01:00:22,077 --> 01:00:27,124
New areas will be, you know,
kind of like your go-tos,
1382
01:00:27,166 --> 01:00:31,628
and places that we see
as the classic style of wine
1383
01:00:31,670 --> 01:00:35,591
will start to,
kind of not saying fall apart,
1384
01:00:35,632 --> 01:00:38,510
but they're gonna fall apart.
1385
01:00:38,552 --> 01:00:41,430
Like if we keep seeing fires
1386
01:00:41,472 --> 01:00:45,476
and hail and drought
and floods,
1387
01:00:45,517 --> 01:00:47,644
like, we're not gonna
have these places
1388
01:00:47,686 --> 01:00:49,480
to talk about anymore.
1389
01:00:49,521 --> 01:00:51,190
[Jim]
The Riojas, the Bordeaux?
1390
01:00:51,231 --> 01:00:53,609
The Riojas, the Bordeaux.
Riojas' not going anywhere.
1391
01:00:53,650 --> 01:00:55,694
Bordeaux, but Bordeaux--
1392
01:00:55,736 --> 01:00:57,571
It could become
too hot in Spain,
1393
01:00:57,613 --> 01:00:59,448
you know,
or it could become too wet
1394
01:00:59,490 --> 01:01:01,909
or there could be
that one hail storm
1395
01:01:01,950 --> 01:01:04,495
that finally wipes out Burgundy.
1396
01:01:04,536 --> 01:01:07,206
Like, you know, you just
never know what's gonna happen.
1397
01:01:07,247 --> 01:01:08,624
And I think those places
1398
01:01:08,665 --> 01:01:10,250
that we know to make
fantastic wines
1399
01:01:10,292 --> 01:01:12,378
are not gonna be--
they're gonna be more expensive,
1400
01:01:12,419 --> 01:01:17,007
of course, the quality
is not going to be the same.
1401
01:01:17,049 --> 01:01:19,426
Um, and we're going to find
alternative places to go.
1402
01:01:20,511 --> 01:01:22,888
I think from
a technical perspective,
1403
01:01:22,930 --> 01:01:24,681
the answers are the same today
1404
01:01:24,723 --> 01:01:26,308
as they were
for the Cistercians,
1405
01:01:26,350 --> 01:01:28,852
the Lavoisiers, the Winklers,
the Pasteurs,
1406
01:01:28,894 --> 01:01:30,813
everybody
who impacted this story.
1407
01:01:30,854 --> 01:01:33,399
You know, they surmounted
their challenges and we can too.
1408
01:01:33,982 --> 01:01:35,484
And maybe we can do it in a way
1409
01:01:35,526 --> 01:01:37,736
that doesn't come off
as too pretentious.
1410
01:01:38,404 --> 01:01:42,074
We turn now
to the Gospel of Gil Kulers.
1411
01:01:42,116 --> 01:01:43,784
Take it away Gil.
1412
01:01:43,826 --> 01:01:46,412
And there are folks
who really are sort of haughty
1413
01:01:46,453 --> 01:01:50,916
and they-- they make you think
that you're not good enough
1414
01:01:50,958 --> 01:01:52,543
to appreciate a wine like this.
1415
01:01:52,584 --> 01:01:53,710
[organ music playing]
1416
01:01:53,752 --> 01:01:56,880
Man, that really bothers me.
1417
01:01:57,589 --> 01:02:00,551
That's the thing
that I really fight against
1418
01:02:00,592 --> 01:02:03,720
because wine comes--
1419
01:02:03,762 --> 01:02:06,014
since it's 8,000 years old,
it's the sacrament.
1420
01:02:06,056 --> 01:02:09,268
It's all these other things.
It's a big, big subject.
1421
01:02:11,145 --> 01:02:14,189
It already has
its image issues.
1422
01:02:14,231 --> 01:02:17,985
It's already stigmatized,
and then you come along
1423
01:02:18,026 --> 01:02:20,779
with your tie
and your little testament.
1424
01:02:21,947 --> 01:02:24,950
And you have that body language
1425
01:02:24,992 --> 01:02:27,995
and you're sort of
judging someone
1426
01:02:28,036 --> 01:02:31,373
and deciding that
they can't possibly enjoy...
1427
01:02:32,416 --> 01:02:34,710
this type of wine.
1428
01:02:36,170 --> 01:02:37,754
I'm not allowed to curse, am I?
1429
01:02:37,796 --> 01:02:39,381
[Jim] Yeah, you're allowed
to do whatever you want.
1430
01:02:39,423 --> 01:02:41,175
You can go to heck.
1431
01:02:42,301 --> 01:02:43,427
Um...
1432
01:02:43,469 --> 01:02:44,553
[Jim] Is that cursing?
1433
01:02:45,721 --> 01:02:47,097
It is when I grew up.
1434
01:02:48,348 --> 01:02:50,017
Amen.
1435
01:02:50,058 --> 01:02:51,852
Now, one thing I've learned
while making this film
1436
01:02:51,894 --> 01:02:55,814
is that wine experts serve
a very important role.
1437
01:02:55,856 --> 01:02:59,401
If you're listening,
they'll give you a little story
1438
01:02:59,443 --> 01:03:02,279
to take with you, with your wine
wherever you're going.
1439
01:03:02,779 --> 01:03:04,781
So for example,
when you show up to the party,
1440
01:03:04,823 --> 01:03:07,201
as you're handing
the bottle to the host,
1441
01:03:07,242 --> 01:03:08,702
you can say, "Oh, yeah,
1442
01:03:08,744 --> 01:03:10,245
I thought that one
was very interesting.
1443
01:03:10,287 --> 01:03:11,788
It's biodynamic.
1444
01:03:11,830 --> 01:03:13,874
It's a seventh-generation
winemaker,
1445
01:03:13,916 --> 01:03:16,168
all female-owned, whatever."
1446
01:03:16,210 --> 01:03:18,420
You didn't know
that shit, man.
1447
01:03:18,462 --> 01:03:20,297
You got it
from your wine expert.
1448
01:03:20,339 --> 01:03:21,798
And that's okay.
1449
01:03:21,840 --> 01:03:23,842
Remember to take
that little story with you.
1450
01:03:23,884 --> 01:03:26,845
It's the most important part
of your interaction
1451
01:03:26,887 --> 01:03:28,055
with your wine expert.
1452
01:03:29,264 --> 01:03:30,849
But here's
the most important thing
1453
01:03:30,891 --> 01:03:33,519
that I learned about wine
while making this film.
1454
01:03:33,560 --> 01:03:37,731
And I invite you to check
my math by trying this yourself.
1455
01:03:38,315 --> 01:03:42,611
I asked a lot of people about
the best wine that they ever had
1456
01:03:42,653 --> 01:03:45,239
and they all answered
in a similar way.
1457
01:03:45,739 --> 01:03:48,534
They begin
by describing the setting.
1458
01:03:48,575 --> 01:03:50,744
What time of year it was,
what country they were in,
1459
01:03:50,786 --> 01:03:52,246
what the weather was like,
1460
01:03:52,287 --> 01:03:53,956
what friends
and loved ones were around.
1461
01:03:54,498 --> 01:03:56,208
But here's the crazy thing.
1462
01:03:56,250 --> 01:03:59,753
Often they forget to mention
the nitpicky wine stuff
1463
01:03:59,795 --> 01:04:01,672
like grape and vintage.
1464
01:04:02,798 --> 01:04:05,884
I don't think it's possible
to talk about the best wine
1465
01:04:05,926 --> 01:04:09,805
you ever had without describing
the setting and the company.
1466
01:04:09,846 --> 01:04:11,473
So what does all this mean?
1467
01:04:11,515 --> 01:04:13,767
Well, it means that
when we're looking for wine,
1468
01:04:13,809 --> 01:04:16,645
what we're looking for
is not the bottle.
1469
01:04:16,687 --> 01:04:18,063
We're looking for
that moment
1470
01:04:18,105 --> 01:04:19,815
when all the other stuff
comes together.
1471
01:04:20,566 --> 01:04:21,858
A wine could be
part of that moment,
1472
01:04:21,900 --> 01:04:23,235
but it doesn't have to be.
1473
01:04:23,735 --> 01:04:25,112
Now, all this stuff about
1474
01:04:25,153 --> 01:04:27,281
vintages and terroir
is interesting.
1475
01:04:27,864 --> 01:04:30,075
But if you really want to
enjoy wine,
1476
01:04:30,117 --> 01:04:33,996
keep good people around you,
be open to new experiences,
1477
01:04:34,037 --> 01:04:36,415
and if you're having
a great experience,
1478
01:04:36,456 --> 01:04:38,083
make sure to notice.
1479
01:04:39,501 --> 01:04:41,295
Oh, and make sure
to invite me.
1480
01:04:41,837 --> 01:04:43,880
[upbeat jazz music]
1481
01:05:31,720 --> 01:05:33,096
[music fades]
115344
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