Tasting the Past: The science of flavor & the search for the origins of wine by Kevin Begos
A Book Review Rave
Wine, women, and rampages?
According to a play by Euripides it was “a thing” around 400 BC, where women get a little wine in them and start resisting “all the judgemental and controlling mansplainers, too – at least on stage” (Begos, 2018, p. 138). While no recorded rampage ruckus has emerged, it’s not a stretch to say that was probably one of my favorite chapters of Tasting the Past: The science, flavor & the search for the origins of wine by Kevin Begos. He was referencing The Bacchae. I snickered as I sipped my over-frothed cappuccino and whispered, “yessss.” While the book is not about Princess Agave leading the rampage against male oppression, I was still able to draw a quick parallel to current events, as snarky hashtags began tickling my caffeine-fueled thoughts: #TheBacchae #DionysisMadeMeDoIt #HasAnyoneSeenMySnake.
But Seriously, Back to the Book
Tasting the Past is about the search for wine’s origins, obscure grape varieties, and a dive into wine culture, history and regions. Wine was documented as a significant aspect of ancient civilization culture, so there was naturally as much room in the book for a chapter titled “Aphrodite, Women, and Wine” as there was for “Goliath, Foraging, and an Answer” and “Italy, Leonardo, and Natural Wine.” A cursory scan through the chapters is enough to excite the reader to start flipping through the pages while sipping something equally curious. 
So far, this is the most refreshing (pun intended) new wine read I’ve gotten my hands on this year. Begos begin his wine journey while on a literal journey – in a hotel room in Jordan seeking refreshments in the minibar. I don’t know about any of you, but rarely has a hotel minibar experience inspired me to undertake a 10-year exploration into ancient wine grapes, beverages, culture, and – why not – yeasts. He weaves his research through vines, science, taste physiology, travel – stops to build a rock wall in Switzerland along the way – and then pulls history forward through the loop of the present with relevant tasting suggestions that integrate each chapter’s revelations.
Preach the Grape Gospel
What I loved most about this book (OK, besides the rampages, #WandsAndWeaponsWednesday #ByeByePentheus) was an advocacy for indigenous grapes. There are thousands of grape varieties from which wine can be successfully made. However, most of the world’s wine is made with about a dozen. If it’s obscure, or as I often request from my local wine shop, “what’s new and weird?” I’m looking to drink it. Fermented in clay amphorae? Yes, please. Grapes I’ve never heard of? Of course! Tasting the Past reminds us that there are valid reasons for exploring lesser-known, traditional grapes that are – or once were – indigenous to the world’s wine producing regions, major and minor. They should be celebrated and preserved, and yes, drunk (#SaveTheGrapes #WhatWouldGilgameshDrink).
I consider Begos an evangelist for autochthonous vines, preaching the grape gospel of resisting the modern day temptation of shoving square cool climate varieties into increasingly warmer climate round holes. He also consults with credible experts (#WineLegends!) in the wine world whose work has been vital in discovering, preserving, and learning from the past. Wine scholars will recognize the names of Swiss Grape Geneticist Jose Vouillamoz (co-author of Wine Grapes), and Scientific Director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Project for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages, and Health at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia, Patrick McGovern. McGovern is often referred to as “The Indiana Jones of Ancient Ales, Wines and Extreme Beverages.” Yet Begos also looks to the future and highlights the work of Randal Grahm’s Popelouchum Estate Vineyard, which focuses on developing new varieties with respect to climate and site characteristics.
Be sure to grab a copy of Tasting the Past, and stay tuned for a future episode of the Wine Two Five Podcast featuring an interview with Kevin Begos. We’ll be sure to ask if he has any tips on how to conduct wine rampages new discoveries to share with us! The episode will air in late August 2018.
