30 | New Scientist | 5 October 2019
Book
Volcanoes and Wine:
From Pompeii to Napa
Charles Frankel
University of Chicago PressWINES and volcanoes might
seem an exotic pairing. But, as
volcanologist Charles Frankel
reveals here, the two are deeply
entwined. Modern vintages enjoy
playing on their volcanic roots,
and an association has in fact
existed for centuries.
After the eruption of Italy’s
Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, Pompeii
and Herculaneum were buried so
thoroughly that their existence
was forgotten, until their entirely
accidental rediscovery during the
18th century.
But the towns had already left
a permanent legacy through the
grape vines that, having survived
the pyroclastic destruction,
continued to be cultivated on the
slopes of the volcano. Two of these
vines, Piedirosso and Sciascinoso,
have been identified, from casts
of vines and pips protected in
amphorae, as the varieties
Pompeiians grew. These are now
used to make Villa dei Misteri,
a wine that retails at around
€100 a bottle and helps fund
archaeological work at Pompeii.
The wine has, according to
Frankel, a “deep ruby colour, a
fruity and spicy bouquet, a thick
but balanced structure”. Such a
wine could “gracefully accompany
a rich seafood course”. This
combination of gastronome
and sommelier patois is nothing
new. Yet Frankel shifts to quite
another level by combining these
flourishes with rich, unusual
descriptions of terroir, that near-
mystic combination of landscape,
soils, climate and human care that
gives a wine from a particularAn eruption of good taste
The fruit of a globetrotting, interdisciplinary study of volcanic wines is
so good, we should really find some way to bottle it, says Adrian Barnettregion its unique qualities.
The mineral-rich soils and
unusual climatic conditions that
volcanoes produce make them
uniquely suited to creating fine
wines and Frankel, a volcanologist
and a fully paid-up oenophile, is
uniquely suited to write about
them. He has paid his dues, too,having written two previous
books on wine and been a visiting
university lecturer in France and
the US. This has given him a fine
eye for the influences on wine
of culture and history.
This is probably the first
book on wine to begin with an
introduction to basic volcanology,
and Frankel’s choice of chapter
topics – Santorini in Greece;
Naples (Vesusius is nearby), SicilyViews Culture
ZUSANCHE
Z/GET
TY
IMAG
ESpumice quarry. Here, by
examining its layers of ash,
pumice and lava, it is possible to
anatomise the eruption sequence
that wrecked Santorini’s Minoan
civilisation in 1620 BC.
Volcanoes and Wine is a joyous
celebration of the circumstances
that produce some of the world’s
most venerated wines. It is also
full of irresistible historical
snippets. Did you know that a
wine blended from Santorini’s
Assyrtiko, Athiri and Aidani grapes
not only became the sacramental
wine for the Russian Orthodox
Church, but that its trade was
unabated when the island was
invaded by the Muslim Ottoman
Empire in 1579? Now there is
something worth toasting. ❚Adrian Barnett is a rainforest
ecologist at Brazil’s National Institute
of Amazonian Research in Manaus(Etna) and its neighbouring
Aeolian Islands (Stromboli) in
Italy; France’s Auvergne region
and California – is an eccentric
oenophilic blend only likely to
occur to a volcanologist.
Frankel avoids the pitfalls
many books like this make.
The text never falls into colour-
supplement pretentiousness.
Neither does it tip into territory
that is tectonically tedious.
He is extremely well-informed
about his curious mix of topics
and is keen to share his knowledge.
A section on Santorini wines that
describes their “rich bouquet of
orange peel, dried apricot, figs
and nuts” is balanced by a loving
account of how, on an island that
is technically a desert, a method
has been developed to curl vines
like a coil pot so that their buds
grow towards the centre,
protected from the sun
and the pumice-laden wind.
Next, he invites you to the
island’s Carrefour car park, which
gives the best access to a disusedVolcanic regions such as
Lanzarote produce some
of the finest wines“ In a disused pumice
quarry, it is possible
to unpick the eruption
that wrecked Minoan
civilisation in 1620 BC”