Wine merchants have brought wine from vineyards to consumers for thousands of years. From product innovations, shipping and storage methods to politics and cultural interaction, merchants have been at the forefront. Whether by ancient sailing ships brimming with wine-filled ceramic amphora containers or modern UPS delivery trucks with glass bottles in corrugated cardboard shipping cartons, we enjoy the fruits of our labor. Along the way there have been many trials and tribulations with some interesting and surprising results.
One of the perils of an early wine merchant was the loss of product. A fine example of this is the shipwreck of the Kyrenia, a small Greek trading vessel which sank off the coast of Cyprus in 4th century B.C. She was laden with wine amphora would have held from 5 to 9 gallons. The amphora would have been stored along the center of the hull as well as in rows on each side.
Amphora’s from Kyrenia
The amphora itself was purchased along with the wine inside and was
labeled with the winemaker's mark and the origin on each of the handles.
Hull of Kyrenia labeled with the winemaker's mark and the origin on each of the handles.
In addition to developing the majority of Western Europe’s wine regions, the Romans were also responsible for most early merchant related innovations. Appellations, glass bottles and barrels were all introduced or popularized by the Romans. A larger and more permanent container than the amphora utilized by the Romans to store and transport wine was called a dolium. Doliums held up to 350 gallons and in many instances were cemented into the hulls of merchant ships. One of Rome's most prominent merchant's was Publius Canidius Crassus whom served under Marcus Antonius of Antony and Cleopatra fame. Crassus’ company, Middle East Wine & Spirits Ltd., operated as an offshore company to avoid paying taxes. Imagine that!
A variety of Doliums
After the Fall of Rome (the Dark Ages) most wine making took place in the realm of the churches. Cistercian monks, whom had split from the Benedictine th order in the late 11 century, shrewdly began acquiring land for growing grapes through various means such as gifts from knights and the elite of society in exchange for prayers. Using the symbolic drinking of wine as part of the Christian Eucharist, Mass or Communion and a network of wealthy and elite citizens the Cistercians were able to distribute their wine to most of Europe. Around 1240 A.D. in what is now Austria, the Cistercian order of monks began cultivating Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio and produced some of Europe's finest wines. Bargetto Winery continues to produce excellent Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio today.
John Chaucer, father of famous medieval English writer Geoffrey Chaucer (The Canterbury Tales), was a wealthy 14th century London wine merchant. The following is an interesting footnote from 1409 that shows merchants charging for freight just as today; "The Marie de Dartmouth laden with fifty-four bariques of wine at Bordeaux for John Orguiuer, merchant of Chester, was paid thirteen shillings a ton freight; and the Margerits de Kinysware, laden with wine for Beaumaris and Dublin, was paid twenty shillings per ton''. A barique was a wine barrel that held 225 litres or about 60 gallons of wine and looks very similar to today’s wine barrels.
In the late 1600’s Port wine originated as a result of trade wars between France and England. High taxes on French wine forced English merchants to purchase wines from Portugal with whom they had a favorable trade relationship. Before the Mayflower sailed the pilgrims to America, she served as a merchant ship sometimes carrying Port wine from Portugal to England. Shortly thereafter, the colonization of America started a new era of wine cultivation and distribution.
So when UPS or Fedex comes knocking at your door this holiday season, remember we have all travelled a long and winding road and we deserve that delicious glass of wine!
