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Home | Culinary | Catering and Restaurant Management | Wine and Dine: The Culinary Art of Catering

Wine and Dine: The Culinary Art of Catering


Knowledge of wine and food go hand in hand. Attending a culinary program can not only give you an education in world cuisine, but you can also learn about pairing wine with food and the history of this "fruit of the vine."

Wine History

The ancient Romans fermented grapes for wine as early as 1000 B.C. They also developed storage techniques from wood barrels to glass bottles, and they probably had their meals catered as well. The Romans loved to be pampered.

The enormous Roman villas of Ancient Stabiae were part of a legendary resort--a summer residence for politicians and businessmen in ancient Rome. The villas overlook the Bay of Naples and were preserved by the same eruption that buried Pompeii in 79 BC. The site consists of summer residences for the Roman elite in the first centuries BC and AD. Archeologists have found evidence, in the form of preserved wine vats and bottles, that the Romans who stayed here really loved their wine.

The Source of the Grapevine

The ancient settlement of Stabiae is now situated inside the modern city of Castellammare di Stabia, located in the Campania region of Italy. This is a very fertile area, a coastal region that specializes in cultivating olive trees and vineyards. It's the extremely fertile volcanic soil that gives the grapes a different flavor and the wines a different twist. Luckily for the rest of the world, the Campania region is beginning to export its wines.

Wine and Dine Your Body

Wine is a constant element of the modern culinary world. Its health benefits are beginning to be recognized, including:

  • wine helps relax you
  • wine provides some vitamins
  • wine stimulates appetite and aids digestion
  • wine, like chocolate and tea, contains flavonoids, a type of antioxidant, and resveratrol, with purported life-extending health benefits

Wine and Modern Culinary Arts

And wine is elegant. It's expected at elegant restaurants, French and otherwise. If you're working in the culinary industry and intimidated by wine, you owe it to yourself to learn about it. Pairing wine with a meal is a culinary skill taught in cooking schools and is not as mysterious and daunting as it sounds. The ancient Romans could do it, and when catering events, you can certainly do it too.

Sources

Wine Pros History of Wine 101 (http://www.winepros.org/wine101/history.htm)