Although wine and other fermented beverages are not Elliot Engel’s forte, the literary master who has become world renowned for his expertise in the field of Charles Dickens provided local citizens with a brief recount of wine’s intricate 8,000 year history this past Thursday at the Ashe County Arts Center.

Prior to Engel’s presentation in West Jefferson, he presented a lecture at the middle school and high school on the life and mystery of Edgar Allen Poe. This is not the first occasion that Engel has entertained Ashe County audiences of all ages as his entertaining lectures have been described to contain “infectious enthusiasm.”

The program entitled, “The History and Mystery of Wine” explored the fermented beverage’s rise and fall throughout ancient history to today’s modern culture. Engel began the evening’s journey by sharing interesting tidbits of information on wine’s conception with audience members. Scientists are able to trace wine’s conception past the time of ancient Egyptians. Using extracted DNA samples from shriveled raisins, scientists have determined that fermented grapes existed well before Biblical days.

One possible scenario illustrated by Elliot on wine’s discovery may have taken place along a roadside. Just past the dawn of civilization, many grapes were grown along the sides of dusty roads in bunches on vines. Fierce wind and rain storms would dash the freshly grown grapes to the ground where they would be left to allow chemistry to take its natural course. If a passerby was to pick up one of these grapes before the natural processes reduced the grapes to vinegar, they would have enjoyed the first alcoholic high in the history of mankind.

“It must have truly been a taste of paradise,” Engel said with a chuckle.

Engel shared with wine aficionados that the ancient Egyptians were the first to reserve wine for only special occasions. Following the Egyptians were the Greeks, who Engel feels, provided more positive innovations for wine than any other culture. It was the Greeks who were the first to preserve wine in airtight clay vessels.

Despite the leaps and bounds made by the ancient Greeks in the evolution of wine, it almost went for naught as the early Romans nearly wiped wine from all of recorded history. Engel described the early founders of Rome as similar to early American Puritans. For the first 600 years of the empire, wine was forbidden for consumption as ancient lore compelled the citizenry to adopt milk as the official drink of choice in the empire. It was not until the advent of wheat and bread production that wine began to rise in popularity with the ancient Romans.

Early Christians also appreciated the importance of wine as they were the first group to regard red and white wine as equals. Red wine was originally a symbol of a bond between Christ and man and when one would consume wine, the alcoholic effect they experienced was considered the intense bond and connection associated with a relationship with Christ.

Early American settlers William Penn and Benjamin Franklin noted that the continent’s insects and climate made it virtually impossible to cultivate a sustainable vineyard. It was not until a San Franciscan friar in California did the U.S. open its first manageable vineyard in Sonoma. Today California, Washington, Oregon, and New York lead the nation in the amount of wine produced annually.

Currently, North Carolina ranks tenth nationally in the production of wine and the majority of wineries are located in the Yadkin Valley region in the state. There are 354 vineyards in North Carolina and 70 wineries from 33 different counties. Ashe County currently has its own winery, New River Winery who produced the “first legal alcohol in the history of Ashe County.”