By Joseph Temple

While today we often associate the ceremony of christening a ship with a bottle of champagne, the practice of smashing bubbly for good luck has only been used for the past 170 years or so. For centuries, long before sparkling wine ever existed, ships and vessels were christened with nature’s holiest drink in hope that the Gods would bless the captain and crew as they began their long voyage across the seas.   And below you can read about ten little-known facts that will shed some light on this historic ritual that has evolved greatly over thousands of years.  Cheers!

1. During ancient times, a priest would offer a libation to the Gods in the form of wine.  This was done by pouring it on the ship or in the waters that would soon receive the vessel.
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2. Beginning in the tenth century, some ships were christened with the blood of sacrificial victims.  This practice was later seen as extremely barbaric, resulting in red wine being used instead.
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3. The church objected to the use of red wine, viewing it as an affront to its sacraments.  Because of these objections, white wine — and later champagne was used for christenings.
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4. In 1797, the USS Constitution was christened with a bottle of Madeira – one of the preferred alcoholic beverages of the American Revolution.
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5. By the mid-18th century, France began using champagne, the “aristocrat of wines” to christen its ships.  The practice of using bubbly quickly spread to other countries.
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6. In 1843, SS Great Britain, the world’s first modern transatlantic liner, was christened with champagne.  When the first bottle missed the ship, Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert quickly grabbed another bottle and threw it against the bow.
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7. It is believed that if the christening bottle doesn’t break or if a ship isn’t christened at all, bad luck will haunt the vessel.  One passenger liner that skipped the ceremony was the Titanic.
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8. In 1890, the Maine, America’s first steel battleship, was christened in front of 20,000 people at the U.S. Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York.  This ceremony, however, did not prevent it from sinking after a mysterious explosion in Havana Harbor, leading to the Spanish-American War in 1898.
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9. During prohibition from 1920-1933, American war ships were christened with water, juice and apple cider instead of wine.
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10. In 1942, opera singer Marian Anderson christened the Booker T. Washington, the first U.S. ship to be named after an African-American.
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Sources:

Bernardo, Stephanie. “Rites of Passage.” MotorBoating. May 1981: 66-69. Print.
Crompton, Samuel Willard. The Sinking of the USS Maine: Declaring War Against Spain. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009.
Lennox, Doug. Now You Know: The Book of Answers, Volume 1. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2003.
Tuleja, Ted. Curious Customs. New York: Stonesong Books, 2012.
Soniak, Matt (2012, Sept 26). Why Are Bottles of Champagne Smashed On New Ships? Mental Floss. Retrieved from http://www.mentalfloss.com.
Spignesi, Stephen J. The Titanic for Dummies. Hoboken, Wiley Publishing, 2012.
Williams, Randall and Beard, Ben. This Day in Civil Rights History. Montgomery: NewSouth Books, 2009.

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Question: What grain is generally used to make whiskey?

Answer: A bit tricky. Traditionally barley has been used to make all whisky. It is still the main grain for Scotch & Irish ones. However Canadian Rye Whiskey (and American) has more than 50% rye. Bourbon which originated in Kentucky uses more than 50% corn or maize.

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The 2003 vintage in Bordeaux is generally on a current plateau of enjoyable drinking but is so variable with many wines far too ripe broad chunky and lower in acidity. I did a blog on them here on January 28, 2013 you can reference. That amazing Summer heat and drought was record breaking resulting in a vintage that is inconsistent lacking the precision and elegance you usually expect in a more classic year. Bill Blatch ex-Vintex and now Christie’s rep in Bordeaux as well as on the Bordeaux Gold Sauternes website conducted a seminar with this scribe on a retrospective of the 2003s in September 2015. Bill has such thorough vintage notes that he brilliantly was able to tell us the important weather conditions and picking dates at various properties on almost a day by day basis. As we know now those who waited for a later harvest during the last 2 weeks of September in the Northern Medoc fared best. Some concentrated Pauillac and St Estephe properties should continue to improve for decades hopefully like the 1982s and the 1959s are doing.

At this tasting the clear winner was the surprising Chateau Duhart-Milon a 4th growth of 1855 in Pauillac with a good DNA connection since 1962 from their parent Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. The replanting in the sixties and seventies resulting in this 73 cab sauv & 27 merlot vintage of reduced 33 hl/hectare yield is a beauty continuing to improve over the last several years. So expressive on the bouquet now with cassis, cigar box, licorice, lead pencil cedar and a full complex classy taste with black fruits. Impressive! Recommend you keep your eyes open to acquire some as you can find this vintage on sale at some wine stores with aged inventory or at a current auction.

Another good value from 2003 with even lower yields is Clos du Marquis from St. Julien with more merlot and bit of petit verdot in the majority cab sauv blend. Shows cloves and subtle spice, plums, cherries, and mocha in the presentation. Drinking well.

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By Joseph Temple

Located just north of the Black Sea, the former Soviet republic of Moldova is a nation that takes its wine industry very seriously. Benefiting from a mild climate and fertile soil, this landlocked country possesses a large agricultural industry that employs close to 40% of the entire population. And a source of great pride for many native Moldovans is the wine that comes from its vineyards. However, with the United States representing only half a percent of Moldova’s total wine exports, most Americans have never had the chance to experience it.  So here are ten interesting facts to keep in mind about this hidden treasure from Eastern Europe … maybe you’ll even find a bottle at your local shop.

1. Currently, Moldova has approximately 150 wineries, processing 1,400 tons of grapes annually on 170,000 hectares of vineyards.
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2. Wine production accounts for nearly
30% of Moldova’s total export earnings.
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3. The wine industry contributes to about 25% to the country’s GDP.
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By Nixalsverdrus (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

4. Ten percent of the country’s soil is covered by vineyards, located mostly in the central and southern regions.

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5. In a good year, Moldova is the world’s seventh largest wine exporter.
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6. Historians believe that Moldova’s wine industry dates back several centuries before the Roman conquest.
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Russavia [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons

7. Russia and Ukraine represent nearly 90% of all Moldovan wine exports.
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8. In 2006, Russia banned the importation of all Moldovan wines, considered by many as an act of retribution because the country was seeking the removal of all Russian troops from its territory.
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9. A longstanding rumor has been that Queen Elizabeth II is a big fan of Moldovan wine.
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Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons, via Wikimedia Commons

10. Consisting of over 200km of tunnels and nearly 2 million bottles, Mileștii Mici has the world’s largest collection of wine in the world.
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Sources:

Bidlack, Richard. Russia and Eurasia 2015-2016. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.
Brezianu, Andrei and Spânu, Vlad. Historical Dictionary of Moldova. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2007.
Kosienkowski, Marcin and Schreiber, William. Moldova: Arena of International Influences. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2012.
Voorhees, Mara. Eastern Europe. Oakland: Lonely Planet, 2009.

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Question: I am a bit confused about how far north and south Burgundy actually goes. I usually get different answers to my question. What is the correct one Sid?

Answer: Yes many people speak about Burgundy as just the Cote d’Or (“Golden Hillside”) the two regions from just south of Dijon to north of Beaune comprising the Cote de Nuits & from there south to Santenay being the Cote de Beaune. These vineyards are now much in demand for the small quantities produced and are very expensive. However in addition to those 2 main districts there is also 4 other ones from furthest north of all Chablis, and three most southerly ones Cote Chalonnaise, Cote Maconnaise, & Beaujolais – some wines from which are of outstanding quality and still excellent value for the price. Check out the Burgundies – red & white – from all 6 regions!

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