Joshua Heuman

The oldest known winery was founded in ancient Armenia around the year 4100 B.C.E. What was surely an accidental discovery became an ever-more predictable technique, and spread westward. By 3700 B.C.E., wine was made in northern Israel. From there, wine-making spread south to Egypt by 3150 B.C.E. (and into Africa), and west through Turkey to Greece and Rome. This transmission of know-how of viticulture and viniculture parallels the rise of major civilizations and religions: the Mesopotamians and Persians, the Egyptians and Israelites, the Greeks and Romans. Travel back in time, alternating from art/archaeology to wine tasting, learning about these complementary aspects of these ancient cultures.

During the 14th to 17th century, Italy experienced a rapid increase in economic development with an accompanying shift in philosophy, resulting in some of the world’s most renowned artistic achievements. This period is referred to as the Renaissance, literally, a rebirth. Italian wine experienced a rebirth during the late 20th century, with new government regulations and a new classification system. Though often criticized throughout the 19th and 20th centuries for its poor quality, today Italy is the number one source of imported wines in the U.S. market – and sales are on the rise! Enjoy learning about pivotal Renaissance artists, paired with Italian wines that mirror the artists’ sometimes coy, often daring choices of style and technique. 

France experienced radical social change during the 19th century, from the bloody French Revolution (1789-1799) to the peaceful La Belle Époque (1890-1914). During the same century, French wine experienced a crisis: an insect  pest that killed over 40% of French grape vines. But French wine-makers rebounded and remain some of the world’s best. Meanwhile, French artists responded to all the changes by giving birth to key movements: Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Orientalism, Realism, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism. Learn more about the (r)evolution of French art in the 19th century while tasting contemporary French wines. 

By the turn of the 20th century, California was at the forefront of American wine. Today accounts for 90 percent of the nation’s production. Over 1,200 wineries scattered along 700 miles of coast and in the Central Valley produce pure and blended wines using wine-making artistry to enhance the grapes’ natural qualities. Also throughout the 1900s, California’s atmospheric light and cool, oceanic air attracted artists from around the nation. While many came with techniques derived from the French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, subsequent generations established innovative, engaging, and influential art movements. Consider how California’s leading 20th century art movements match with wines of comparable styles. 

Monet Along the Seine: North to Champagne

Monet Along the Seine: South to Burgundy

Monet Along the Seine: Spirits Along the Seine

Cheers! The British Taste for Wine (presented 2 times)

Effervescence: The Barbizon School & Sparkling Wines

Lives of Leisure: The Impressionists & Loire Valley Wines

Braque’s Beginnings & Wines of Bordeaux

Braque’s “Second Career” & Wines of Burgundy

Grüner and Reisling: Wines of Austria (presented 2 times)

Mendoza & Maule: Wines of Chile

Mendoza & Maule: Wines of Argentina

Picasso’s Roots: Wines of Spain

Picasso, Bon Vivant: Wines of France