The Birth of a Cult: Screaming Eagle and Reflections on Turkish Winemaking l o g

The history of wine is not only the story of an agricultural transformation; it is also the history of narrative making. Every scientific model explaining the domestication of the grape has gradually evolved into cultural, political, and economic discourse.

When we embark on a journey back to the origins of civilization, we inevitably find ourselves in Mesopotamia. The fertility carried by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, born in the mountains of Anatolia, enabled our ancestors to lay the foundations of a civilizational journey that continues to this day.

While referring to the cryptic notes Samuel Pepys recorded in his diary, it is equally useful to look at what was unfolding in other parts of London.

It has been ten years since our first visit to Mardin, and we have to admit that we deeply regretted to have discovered the city so late after we returned from that trip. At the time, we were running our pizza restaurant, BEPPE and our visit to Mardin left a tangible mark on our menu.

When you buy a packaged biscuit, you can read everything inside it, from emulsifiers to preservatives. Wine, however, occupies a different legal category. Because it is classified as an alcoholic beverage in most countries, it is exempt from mandatory ingredient lists. The only component you are likely to see on a wine label is sulfites, and even that appears solely because it is legally required as an allergen warning.

History is not always rewritten on grand battlefields. Sometimes, it shifts quietly in the corner of a dim tavern, at the bottom of a glass.