Since before the invention of the alphabet, mathematics or even the wheel, people were drinking and transporting wine. That’s right – before we could add two and two, or roll supplies from one side of a workshop to the other, humans have come up with ingenious ways to store and preserve wine. As time passed, and geography, culture, scale and technology influenced the materials and vessels used, wine storage vessels still need to accomplish the same basic tasks: they must be airtight to prevent oxidation, they need to be strong, movable, resealable and – ideally – the vessel itself shouldn’t interact with the wine.
The oldest wine vessel discovered to date is the kvevri, used in Georgia as early as 6,000BC. These large egg-shaped clay pots were lined with beeswax and used for the entire winemaking process from fermentation to ageing, when they were buried underground to keep the wine cool and stable. The resulting wine was highly tannic, and the large kvevri, some of which could hold hundreds of thousands of litres of wine, left something to be desired when it came to transport.
The Egyptians answered this dilemma with the invention of amphorae. Tall and slender with large handles, amphorae ushered in an era of standardised wine quantities and international trade. These ceramic containers could be strung up like batches of grapes and hauled aboard ships, while their slender shape allowed for easy burial and cooling, as well as for sediment to collect at the bottom of the vessel. No wonder amphorae quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions, reaching their peak in ancient Greece and Rome.
While the Celts invented the wooden barrel, it was the Gauls (now France) that introduced this new vessel to the Roman army. Wooden barrels are stronger than clay, are watertight, weigh far less and can be turned on their side and rolled – the perfect solution to a marching army, toppling clay’s almost 5,500 year dominance. Furthermore, there were no shortage of trees in Europe, leading to the adoption of oak and fir – rather than the Celtic use of palm – for wine barrels. However, unlike clay, wooden barrels are porous, allowing for some oxidation to occur. Romans quickly learnt that wine tasted better after a long journey and that different types of wood affected wines in their own way. Who knew that practicality would beget such a happy accident? Yet, despite all their ingenuity, they had not yet discovered sulphur’s preservative qualities, choosing to use lead to prevent oxidation – with deadly consequences.
While glass blowing was invented by the Romans in 100BC, glass bottles were mostly decorative due to their extreme fragility. It was only around the 17th century that coal-burning furnaces were able to make glass that was thicker and darker, allowing glass to become viable for commercial use.
Despite the great advances in technology, wine still faces the same dilemma today as it did for the ancient Georgians: it begins oxidising as soon as it’s opened. At Belthazar, we’ve pioneered a unique wine preservation system, allowing us to preserve the integrity of the wine in the bottle once it’s been opened. As soon as wine is poured, our preservation system prevents oxidation through a hermetically sealed closure displacing the air with an inert mix of nitrogen and argon. Custom-designed lighting protects the wine from ultra-violet light damage while the wine’s core temperature is consistently regulated by a state-of-the-art cooling system.
Yet, gradual exposure to oxygen over time through the cork can have distinct benefits for the flavour and complexity of wine. However, this process, as with wine in general, must be monitored and controlled. At Belthazar, our prized vintages are stored and matured in a designer vinotéque that controls temperature, light, and humidity. Customised racks store bottles on their side to ensure that the corks don’t dry out during the ageing process. In this way we are able to hold back special vintages or award-winning wines until they are drinking at their peak.
Join us to experience the nuances of our benchmark list of over 400 cuvées by the bottle and 250 by the Riedel glass – all perfectly preserved and served.
