There are countless anecdotes, stories and legends about wine. Even in ancient writings and religious works, wine is a very popular and central theme. A good example is the Bible, which contains countless quotations about and in connection with wine. One of the most beautiful is the one in Psalm 104/15: Wine gladdens the heart of man. Wine and love are a wonderful combination and quite a few people probably owe their existence to a few glasses of enjoyed wine. The vernacular expresses it aptly like this: Where Bacchus stokes the fire, Mrs Venus sits at the stove. Anecdotes and quotations about wine exist from many famous personalities. A true declaration of love for champagne comes from Madame Lily Bollinger (1899-1977), the famous boss of the champagne house. One of the most beautiful anecdotes comes from the French statesman Prince Charles Maurice Talleyrand-Périgord (1754-1838).
Wine & wine enjoyment in poetry
There are more poems and songs about no subject (except love) than about wine - often in connection with relationships. In Bremen's Ratskeller, whose wine list is one of the most extensive in the world, the rhyme is written: A poem is also enjoying wine, only that the verses flow inwards.
The cycle of wine
One of the most beautiful songs is "Kreislauf des Weines". The lyrics are by Theobald Kerner (1817-1907), the son of the famous German doctor and poet Justinus Kerner (1786-1862), after whom a grape variety is named. It was set to music by Kurt Lissmann (1902-1983):
From the grape into the barrel, from the barrel into the cask,
From the barrel then oh delight, into the bottle and into the glass.
From the glass into the throat, into the stomach through the gullet,
And as a spirit then into the soul, and as a word then into the mouth,
From the word, a little later, a song is formed,
that moves through the clouds into the ether with the rejoicing of mankind,
And the next spring, the songs will fall again,
Wet as dew on vines, and from them becomes wine again.
Anacreontic Imperative
Anacreontic poetry is named after the Greek lyric poet Anacreon (~580-495 BC). Anacreontic poetry is a style of poetry that deals with the joy of life, including the enjoyment of wine. The Swiss writer Fridolin Tschudi (1912-1966) wrote the rhyme "Anakreontischer Imperativ" on the subject:
Sip a Wein'lein with understanding, Be glad that we may live,
Kiss a pretty maiden, Never have to slavishly duck,
To be friends with friends, To move as normally as possible,
Never begrudge success. Be grateful and humble,
But be clear with yourself. Still keep your pride,
Develop your talents freely, Be critical and alert,
Fight against senility, Muffle his own voice,
And never hate himself or others,
Never get angry or quarrel over trifles,
Or become hypochondriac, and thereby imperil his happiness,
But sip our wine in silence, And while we may,
Kiss the aforementioned maiden. That's all we should,
Or should be able to do, or must be able to do.
The treasure diggers
The German poet Gottfried August Bürger (1747-1797) is best known for his "Adventures of Baron von Münchhausen" and his ballads. He wrote the poem "Die Schatzgräber" (The Treasure Diggers), which is about the arduous but rewarding work in the vineyard:
A vintner, who lach (lay) at death, called his children to us said:
"In our vineyard lies a treasure, only dig for it!" "in what place?"
they all shouted loudly at their father. "Dig for it!" Alas! the man died.
No sooner was the old man buried than they dug for it with their own strength.
The vineyard was gathered round and round with hoe, rake and spade.
There was not a clod that stayed still; they even threw the earth through the sieve
and pulled the rakes back and forth, after every little stone.
But no treasure was felt, and everyone held his ground.
But no sooner did the next year appear than they were astonished to discover
that every vine bore threefold. Only then did the sons become wise
and dug out more and more of the treasure, year in, year out.
Weather & Viticulture
Probably no other branch of agriculture is as dependent on or affected by the rigours of the weather as viticulture. Time and again during the vegetation cycle the vines are affected by rain, hail and frost as well as numerous vine enemies (pests and diseases). In Austria there is a verse for this, carved into countless barrel bottoms, which aptly expresses the vintner's suffering and worries: In winter a Gfrier (frost), in spring koa Blia (no blossom), in summer a Dia (drought) and in autumn koa G'schia (no dishes). After all imaginable bad things have happened, there is surprisingly a rich harvest in autumn, but new misfortune: the crockery (container) for harvesting is missing. Conclusion: the winegrower always complains. There are a myriad of farmers' rules (winegrowers' rules) attempting to predict the weather. These are often related to commemorative days of wine saints who are supposed to protect the vintner and vineyard from harm by invoking them. But none of this is scientifically justifiable or belongs to the realm of esotericism.
Alcohol as inspiration
The history of literature, music and painting is full of people who drank alcohol or were more or less addicted to alcohol and who drew inspiration, stimulants and strength for their works from the spirit of the bottle. These included Ludwig van Beethoven, Charles Bukowski, Lord Byron, Adalbert von Chamisso, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Gerhart Hauptmann, Friedrich Hebbel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Jean Paul, Joseph Roth, Franz Schubert, Theodor Storm and Ludwig Uhland. The US psychiatrist Donald W. Goodwin noted that the percentage of alcoholics is nowhere as high as among American Nobel Prize winners in literature. He cites Sinclair Lewis, Eugene O'Neill, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck as examples.
Some writers made their alcohol addiction a literary theme, such as Hans Fallada with the strongly self-biographical novel "The Drunkard" and Jack London with "King Alcohol". The US author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) is considered the founder of the detective novel. In his exciting, eerie detective stories, he ingeniously builds up the plot structure in a perceptive manner and leads it to the climax. When writing, he regularly drank alcohol and let it inspire him again during interruptions, in order to find his way back into the fantastic world of thought of his stories and to be able to continue the plot thread. He was commemorated for over 70 years at his grave with a glass of cognac by the mysterious "Poe-Toaster".
This is not to say, however, that alcohol consumption in principle gives all people the ability to be artistically active or causes special talents and abilities that would not exist without alcohol (in the sense that you drink a few glasses of wine and you are already a Friedrich von Schiller). The German writer and poet Ludwig Tieck (1773-1853) describes it as follows: It is a flat view to believe that wine directly, in itself, produces all the effects we ascribe to it; no, its fragrance and breeze only awaken qualities that rest within us. The Austrian writer Peter Rosegger (1843-1918) described this even more comprehensively in a similar way and made a declaration of love for wine. An extensive list of celebrities with their preferences can be found under Favourite Wines.
Quotes from Abraham a Sancta Clara to Carl Zuckmayer
Most of the quotes also paint a positive picture of wine or alcohol consumption. There are, however, a few that warn against abuse, the most graphic in this respect being that of the Greek politician Eubulos. But some of them could be misunderstood, hence the warning: Alcohol is an excellent solvent. It dissolves families, marriages, friendships, work relationships, bank accounts, livers and brain cells. It just doesn't solve problems.
The saying on an ancient tombstone in Rome aptly describes the interaction of various pleasures. They embellish life, but (in excess) can also ruin it: Balnea, vina, Venus corrumpunt corpora nostra; sed vitam faciunt: balnea, vina, Venus (The baths, the wines, love: they ruin our bodies; but they make up life: The baths, the wines, love).
unknown source
Where Bacchus stokes the fire, Lady Venus sits by the stove.
Without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus freezes.
Wine is the marriage of heaven and earth.
Wine is the good spirit of conviviality. It awakens the spirits of life,
makes the troubled optimistic, the sullen cheerful,
the rich accessible and the introverted talkative.
The drunk says what the sober thinks.
More people drown in the cup than in the stream.
If the wine in the cup beckons you, take it and drink fresh,
But don't sit at the same table with every drunkard.
He who has never been drunk does not know the value of sobriety (China).
First man drinks sake, then sake drinks sake,
and finally sake drinks man (Japan).
Rain makes the grass grow, wine the talk (Sweden).
When wine is in, wit is out
When wine is in, wit is out (England).
Vinum et mulieres apostatare faciunt sapientes
(Wine and women beguile the wise).
Famous preacher in old Vienna and writer, author of the Sauffnarren:
Wine is a medicine, but if it is drunk without a manner, it is a poison. Wine is a refreshment of the heart, but if it is drunk without manner, it is a death of the soul.
Alcaeus (600 BC)
Greek lyric poet from the Aegean island of Lesbos with the most famous and most quoted saying about wine: In vino veritas (In wine lies the truth).
Archilochos of Palos (700-645 BC)
Greek lyricist, about the effect of wine during long sea voyages:
Through the oarsmen's benches pass the cups, open all the jugs for the revelers, how could we, with so much wine, be sober all night?
Aristophanes (445-385 BC)
Greek comedy poet:
You dare to revile the inventive power of wine? What would you find more inspiring to action than wine?
Greek philosopher, on the positive inspiration of artists through the consumption of wine:
In vain he who is without wine knocks at the Muses' gate.
Augustine (354-430)
Most important Christian church teacher and philosopher:
Spiritus non potset habitare in sicco (In dryness the spirit cannot dwell).
Charles-Pierre Baudelaire (1821-1867)
French poet and lyricist (Intimate Diaries, The Flowers of Evil, The Artificial Paradises):
Wine is like man, one will never quite know to what degree one can appreciate it or despise it, love it or hate it. Likewise, one does not know how many outstanding acts or monstrous misdeeds he is capable of. Let us therefore be no more cruel to him than we are to ourselves, and let us treat him as our equal.
He who drinks only water has a secret to hide.
Benedict (480-542)
The founder of the Benedictines gave - besides "Ora et labora" - as a rule of the order:
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