My first piece for Académie du Vin Library: Is Wine a liquid mirror to our culture?

From the Ancient Egyptians to hip hop to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, wine is connected to our culture in myriad different ways – and that’s something to celebrate, argues Amelia Singer.

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of visiting Tutankhamun’s tomb.  I was fascinated to see that the delicate engravings on the amphoras (there are 23 of them in the annexe to the burial chamber) were actually an ancient form of wine label: the Ancient Egyptians had an appreciation of terroir some 2000 years before the Burgundian Cistercian monks. These engravings also convey wines’ connective power. These amphoras were celebratory items to enjoy in the afterlife and reflected the Egyptians’ belief in wine’s ability to commune with the gods. Click here to read the full article