It is said that an attempted suicide by a woman thousands of years ago gave birth to wine. This article looks at the fascinating history of wine.

While the origin of wine is still unknown to the world, ancient Persian fable credits a woman as the discoverer of wine. According to the fable, the woman lost to the King and wished to end her life by eating spoiled table grapes stored in a jar. The suicide attempt did not go as she planned; instead she got intoxicated and eventually passed out. When she woke up, she felt as if all her troubles had vanished and this event encouraged her to continue taking the spoiled grapes. So going by this pleasant story, one can say that wine is not an invention of man but was rather found by luck.

The history of wine is as old as the civilization, the agriculture and the man himself. Archeologists suggest that wine was discovered accidentally during 6000 and 5000 BC. in the Fertile Crescent area, a region in between the Nile and the Persian Gulf. Archeological evidence has uncovered the earliest European wine production from crushed grapevines in Macedonia 6500 years ago.

From the time of discovery of wine to this present date, wine has played a very crucial role in many rituals and customs of the society. . In the ancient Egyptian period, wine became an integral part of ceremonial life, mainly funerary ceremonies. Only the wealthiest Egyptians like the Pharaohs were able to enjoy wine. Wine was also common in ancient Greece and Rome and in many other Western European countries.

The Egyptian Era

Though scientists have identified a wine jar from Hajji Firuz Tepe in the Northern Zagros Mountains of Iran, the widespread knowledge of wine cultivation is believed to have come from ancient Egypt. The wine- making process was represented on tomb walls dating back to 2600 BC. Maria Rosa, a master in Egyptology says that wine in ancient Egypt was of great importance and only the upper class people and kings had access to wine. Rosa further points out that the ancient Egyptians labeled the wine jars with product, year, source and the vine grower’s name, but there is no mention about the color of the wines. A recent discovery has shown that the wines in ancient Egypt were predominantly red.

The Greeks

Arrival of wine making process in ancient Greece is not well documented; many believe that wine- making tradition was introduced to Crete by the Phoenician traders. Strong evidences of wine production have also been collected from Minoan Mycenaean cultures.

Wine was a very important trading article in Greece commerce. The Greeks were able to set up their colonies throughout the Mediterranean and this in turn eased the export of Greek wines in the region. The Greeks learned how to prevent wines from spoilage by adding different herbs and spices. Wine in ancient Greece was stirred in a bowl before drinking.

Apart from trading, the Greeks used wine in the field of medical sciences. One of the well known medicine practitioner, Hippocrates, also known as the “Father of Medicine” studied wine extensively for its use in medical sciences, specially to cure fever, convalescence and as an antiseptic. It must be mentioned here that the Greeks were equally aware about the negative health effects produced by drinking wine.

The Roman Empire

The Romans developed the viticulture (cultivation and study of grape growing) and oenology (the science of wine and winemaking). In the Roman Empire, wine formed a vital part of their daily meals as water could not always be trusted to be safe and healthy. During this period, wine- making technology became more established with a significant impact on the Roman business. The Romans developed barrels to store and ship wine, while bottles were used for the first time in the history of the wine world. The Romans are also known to have dissolved pearls in wine for their better health.

With the expansion of Roman Empire, wine production expanded to all of its provinces. During the Dark Ages when Roman Empire fell and when Europe passed through social and political turmoil, wine production was kept alive by the efforts of monasteries. Churches are known to have developed some of the finest vineyards in Europe.

Wine in Ancient China

Although wine was not much of a favorite of the ancient Chinese people, its production and consumption was popular in three different periods, mainly the Han Dynasty, Tang Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty. In ancient China rice wine was not as much popular as the grape wine.

Wine in the Middle Ages and Modern Life

Wine became popular in the Middle Ages, it was considered as a social drink for all occasions. In the northern regions of the Europe where no grapes were grown, beer and ale were predominant and in the Eastern part Vodka was the preferred drink.

America, Chile, Argentine, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand that produce wide varieties of wines are considered as the New World Wine Producers. The products of these countries were not well known to the wine lovers until late in the 20th Century.

The industrial revolution in the 20th century has provided wine manufacturers with new technology and innovation that has made production much more efficient. Considerable R&D advances in viticulture and oenology have helped the present day manufacturers to produce more varieties of wines of much superior quality.

Southbank Institute of Technology (SBIT) conducts the government approved responsible service of alcohol Brisbane Queensland and an RSA course Brisbane. Visit today for details of online and classroom RSA courses.

A good marketing advertisement pays attention to both content and layout. But always, always, always, compose the copy first. The design must reemphasize the strongest points in the copy, and never be created independently of it.

Otherwise, your stuff might look great but have too little substance, or have a visual message that conflicts with the copy, or force your most important points into some hard-to-read corner.

Copywriters often have a sense of good design, and prepare a rough layout for the graphic artist to work from (or, if the design is simple, actually create both elements together). But trying to fit text to suit illustration and design is a definite mistake.

The only exception is in a very small piece. In some instances, like a business card with a strong graphic, you may have a very clear idea of the look before you write the words. If the whole idea is to dominate the page with a graphic, such as your company logo, and fit in contact information around it, obviously the words come second place.

But always ask yourself if this card is doing the strongest selling job it can. Maybe you need a sales sentence and should shrink the logo down a bit unless your product, too, is graphically oriented. Make sure the graphic is appropriate to your message and if it is not, throw out the concept.

Effective Copywriting and Wonderful copywriting:

1. Catches the reader’s attention with something relevant;
2. Addresses the reader’s fears, anxieties, or aspirations;
3. Stresses benefits to the user, not the features that lead to those benefits;
4. Offers to solve the reader’s problem, in the most specific terms possible;
5. Gives the reader with a chance to acquire something of clear value, but only for a limited time;
6. Pulls the reader toward an immediate next step;
7. Shows the consequences of a failure to act;
8. Backs up claims with comparisons to the competition;
9. Includes solid, substantial proof of your claim by someone else (a customer, an expert); and
10. This should be obvious, make sure you provide the necessary order form, address, telephone number and e-mail to allow the reader to take action.

You may not get all ten in every marketing document, but aim to include as many as you can. These group together into several bunches.

Writing promotional material is both a science and an art. Doing your own press release or flier copy is pretty straightforward. But if you’re going to spend a lot of money doing a brochure or newsletter, make sure the copy is worth the investment.

Certainly you can try to do your own, following the principles outlined above. But before you print the final, try out the advertisement on people who will give you accurate and detailed feedback. Writers who sell are writers who revise, so be prepared to do several drafts. Then leave it for a few days and come back to it with a fresh mind.

Or call in outside help. Either outline the project to a writer and wait for a draft, or write the first draft yourself and then let an editor put the magic in it. Whether you or the outside consultant prepare the first draft, expect to play with it. Make sure each section uses strong sales language. Examine the different sections together, to see if they fit well and are in the right order.

Where do you find writers and editors? Get recommendations from other business owners whose marketing materials you respect. Look in the Yellow Pages under Editorial Services, Marketing Consultants, Public Relations, or Publicity. Or, of course, have a look on web sites like elance.com or getacoder.com

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