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!

On our tour through Napa last month we sat and chatted in the midst of Stagecoach vineyard with Dr. Krupp. He said the reason why the vineyard is named Stagecoach is because it was once a bustling stagecoach passage from Sacramento to San Francisco. As I sipped on his very cold and tasty rosé called Black Bart, he said, “Hence the name Black Bart.” At that moment it all came together, and images of the “Wild West” flashed through my mind.

Black Bart was one of the most colorful figures of the “Wild West” and San Francisco’s most famous bandit. In the years between 1875 to 1883, he “held up” 28 stagecoaches. Black Bart’s signature modus operandi was that he dressed in a long linen duster covering his clothes with a flour sack over his hat and his face and sacks covering his shoes too. He would politely ask the stagecoach driver to throw down the strong box, “Please” with his very deep and authoritative voice. He had his rifle in hand, and never used any foul or rude language. After the robbery, he would quickly disappear on foot. In the empty strong box or somewhere at the scene of the crime, he would leave a poem such as this for investigators to find:

Here I lay me down to sleep,
To wait the coming morrow;
Perhaps success, perhaps defeat
And everlasting sorrow,

I’ve labored long and hard for bread
For honor and for riches,
But on my corns too long you’ve tred
You fine-haired sons of bitches.

Let come what may I’ll try it on,
My condition can’t be worse –
And if there’s money in that box
‘Tis money in my purse.

–Black Bart, Po8

Once, in fear, a female passenger tossed her purse out to him from the stagecoach . Black Bart returned the purse and said, “No ma’am, I don’t rob the passengers. I’m only after Wells Fargo.”

With his poetry, polite demeanor, and the fact that he never harmed anyone but the biggest express company in the world at the time,Wells Fargo, he evoked people’s David and Goliath respect for the underdog. (Detectives have surmised that he never actually loaded is rifle.)

Wells Fargo(W.F.) was initially set up in San Francisco to provide financial services to gold miners during the gold rush. W.F. bought gold and silver ore and sold paper bank drafts as good as gold. Prior to turning his hand to robbery, Black Bart was a silver miner. In a letter he wrote to his wife from Montana in 1871 he said he had a bad experience with men who worked for Wells, Fargo & Co. and swore to get back what was his. His experience in Montana kindled his grudge with W.F. He then set off for the Gold fields of California.

He was eventually caught by a Wells Fargo detective when he dropped a handkerchief with the laundry mark FX07 during a robbery. By process of elimination of San Francisco’s ninety-one laundries the detectives caught him. He had not lived too lavishly and was able to return a substantial amount of the stolen money. He was such a nice guy that Wells Fargo only charged him with his last robbery and he was sentenced for only six years. He was released for good behavior after serving only four years and two months.

Reporters swarmed around him when he was released and asked if he would be robbing any more stagecoaches. “No gentlemen,” he smilingly replied, “I’m all through with crime.” Another reporter asked if he would write more poetry. He laughed, “Now didn’t you hear me say that I am through with crime?”

Today it would be a crime not to taste Stagecoach’s Black Bart Rosé. It’s refreshing and fantastic and available at The Wine Stop. And, there’s a great story behind it as well. Cheers!