Divine Vintage Following the Wine Trail from Genesis to the Modern Age

by Butler, Joel; Heskett, Randall

• ISBN13: 9780230112438
• ISBN10: 0230112439
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-11-13
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Summary

From Shiraz to Chardonnay, wine has been an essential part of the Jewish and Christian religious experience for millennia. These early traditions continue to influence today's robust wine connoisseurs offering a fascinating history and an assortment of varieties to discover. Here, wine expert Joel Butler teams up with biblical historian Randall Heskett for a remarkable adventure that explores the drinking habits of biblical figures 3,500 to 2,000 years ago. Along the way, they discover the truth behind how wine infiltrated the biblical world and astounding facts that any wine lover can take to their next tasting, including:* why the Fertile Crescent was the birthplace of wine* how the expansion of the Roman Empire resulted in the first wine connoisseurs* the myths of the Phoenician, Greek, Roman, and Jewish wine gods* how wine came to be used in sacrifices and other rites* why Jesus's first miracle was turning water into wine Divine Vintagealso takes a close look at wines made with ancient techniques, and guides readers on how they too can experience these ancient wines today.

Author Biography

Joel Butler is one of the first two  resident Masters of Wine (MW)® in the North America. He holds degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Colorado, and is currently the president of the Institute of Masters of Wine, North America, Ltd.  Butler has been a highly regarded wine judge for decades, most recently as a Senior Judge at the International Wine Challenge, and Decanter World Wine Awards in London. Butler has written on wine for  International Wine Cellar,  The Sunday Times, The Independent, The I-Wine Review and numerous other wine publications. He is an award-winning home winemaker and wine educator to trade and consumers, and has been a wine buyer for restaurants, retail, and distribution Butler lives in Seattle, Washington, where he is the co-owner of WineKnow LLC.

Dr. Randall Heskett is a biblical scholar with advance degrees in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible from Yale University and the University of Toronto. He has taught at the University of Toronto, Queen’s University, and Denver Seminary, among others. His great interest in wine also has led him to work in retail wine stores and as a wine importer. He has written several books and articles, his most recent being Reading the Book of Isaiah: Destruction and Lament in the Holy Cities. Dr. Heskett is President of Boulder University and lives  outside of Boulder, Colorado.