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Wine has played an important role in social class and has both consistencies and inconsistencies as it was passed from nation to nation and from century to century. Tom Standage emphasizes throughout these two chapters that wine was an important symbol of social class. In Egypt, only the elite drank wine because it was expensive and there were limited amounts of it. Whereas in Greece, there was plenty of wine for everyone so the type of wine and the age of wine became the distinctions between the social classes. There are many similarities and differences in the way wine was produced, prepared, and drunk as situations changed over time and different nations had access to wine. For example, Rome used some Greek techniques when producing the wine and drinking the wine. However, Rome did not use drinking parties for philosophical thinking, they used drinking parties primarily for social class distinction.
Themes stressed throughout the wine chapter include social class differentiation, unity among communities, and change in production and preparation as the wine continued to be a commodity. Modern Armenia and Iran are where wine production first began in the Zagros Mountains between 9,000 and 4,000 BC. This new drink was introduced to Greece, Anatolia, and Egypt. As time rolled on, Rome became the major power in the Mediterranean and adopted the way the Greeks produced, prepared, and treated wine. When Rome fell so did the production of wine. Christians symbolic use of wine for the mass kept wine alive during the Dark Ages and during the rise of Islam where they are not permitted to consume alcohol. Today wine is drunk around the world and is treated as one of the most refined and sophisticated drinks.
Wine played a major role in differentiating the social class and gender hierarchy. 870 BC is the first time we saw wine drunk in quantity, displaying the wealth, power, and elite status of the Assyrian capital of Nimrud. Wine production began to increase and more were able to afford it so wine rations were set in place so that the wealthier received more wine per day than the poorer citizens received. As wine spread to Egypt and Greece it continued to symbolize elite status in society. In fact, in Egypt, the masses drank beer and only the upper class drank wine because little was available. In Greece, everyone began to drink wine because it showed their dominance over all Asians after their victory over the Persians. Wine soon became more available to everybody as there was an increase in production in Greece because of the perfect climate for growing grapevines. Then it was not about if citizens drank wine but the origin of the wine and the age of the wine. Fine wines were superior to ordinary wines and aged wines were superior to young wines. The more exotic and older the wine indicated similarities and differences as it was passed through time and cultures.
Tom Standage uses historical evidence throughout the wine chapter to prove his point. For example, he used the ideas of Plato when describing the philosophical aspect of drinking parties in Greece. Then he used an image on page 79 of a drinking party in Rome to show that the parties were only used for entertainment and social class differentiation. He used other writings such as the volumes written by Galen and different quotes and short poems to back up his ideas on how popular it was to receive your daily amount of wine and how wine was prescribed to citizens who were ill or wounded soldiers. Standage also mentions that there were images of the wine-making process on the Roman coins. This emphasizes that wealth came from wine in the Roman Empire. As seen here, it is clear that the author has clear reasons for his ideas because they are clearly backed up by many sources from historical times.
Throughout this chapter, the author, Tom Standage, expresses wine’s importance in representing social classes, and some things have changed and others have stayed the same as wine has continued to be considered a refined and sophisticated drink throughout the ages. Just as the Greeks served wine while talking about important topics such as politics, wine is served today at political gatherings to indicate the country or state's dominant status, wealth, and power. Wine is still considered a high-class and sumptuous drink. Over time the wine has continued to be a symbol of superiority and the elite in society.
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