Corkey Trivia: Shiraz & the Post Office Motto
Though the shiraz grape is not indigenous to Iran, grapes were first made into wine in the Middle East.
As a matter of fact, the name Shiraz comes from a town in Iran, famed for its wine production. The story goes in an ancient Persian legend that Jamshid, a grape-loving king, stored ripe grapes in a cellar, so he could enjoy grapes all year long. One day he sent his slaves to fetch him some grapes. When they did not return, the king decided to go to the cellar himself to see what was taking so long. He found them unconscious, having been knocked out by the gas emanating from some bruised and fermenting grapes. Hearing this, the people in the palace thought the grapes had turned poisonous. One of the ladies in the king’s harem, feeling rejected and distraught decided to commit suicide by drinking this poison juice, only to leave the cellar singing and dancing in high spirits. The king then realized that this fermented juice had the wonderful and mysterious power to make sad people happy. Thus wine, along with its wonderful restorative powers was born.
With such a wonderful story, one might wish to think that the grape we call Shiraz originated from the soil of Iran. In fact, it is indigenous to the Rhone Valley in France. In 1997, UC Davis grapevine geneticist, Carole Meredith, and her assistant, John Bowers, used genetic profiling techniques to discover that the Shiraz grape was actually a cross between Dureza and Mondeuse blanche. Dureza grows in the Rhone Valley and Mondeuse blanche is a white berry found in Savoie, a popular tourist destination in the alpine region of France, bordering Switzerland. The Rhone River flows through this area on its way to the Rhone Valley. This explains how these two grapes eventually met and gave birth to the Shiraz grape.
Other interesting notes on Iran is that it was once the center of the Persian Empire. Their first king Cyrus the Great freed the Jews from captivity in Babylon (Iraq) and restored their temple in Jerusalem. The Persian Empire also practiced religious and cultural tolerance, believed in free will, and based its leadership on the principles of truth and justice. According to Herodotus, “Persian youths, from the age of 5 to 20 were instructed in three things: to ride a horse, draw a bow, and to speak the truth.”
In addition, the practice of slavery was generally banned in Persia, though it was a common institution in the ancient world, even in Athens. In the ruins of the Persian capitol of Persepolis, we find the ancient equivalent of pay stubs because it was built by paid workers, not slaves. In 5th century BCE, the international status of Persia could be compared to that of the USA today and the international status of ancient Greece could be compared to that of modern day Iran. What a difference a 2,500 years makes.
The Persian king Darius, also invaded Greece only to be stopped on the plains of Marathon by the Athenians. In addition, he built a 1,677 mile Royal Road. This road was the ancient equivalent of our “information highway” or “pony express.” On foot, this journey took ninety days. Mounted couriers could make the trip in seven days. Herodotus praises the Persian couriers, “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor darkness of night prevents these couriers from their designated stages with utmost speed.” This observation is also the inspiration for the motto of the United States Post Office. After a long and exhausting ride on the Royal Road, a nice glass of Shiraz will definitely lift the spirits. Cheers!
Tags: corkey trivia, shiraz, wine
