We humans are bold if nothing else. Unlike any other species (that we know of), only we have chosen time and again to go boldly where no other has gone before.
This holds especially true to the modern European, the first to really “discover” ignorance. Though they were vicious while doing so, they were the first to culturally accept that there is so much we yet not know.
On this day, just 499 years ago, Juan Sebastián Elcano was the first to circumnavigate the globe, arriving back in Spain in 1522. Magellan always gets the credit as the voyage’s leader, but he only made it halfway. It was Elcano that completed the full three-year journey, the beginning of globalization.
Fast forward to September 8, 1966, and Captain James T. Kirk was leading his crew through the milky way, circa 2266-69. The debut of Star Trek.
The concept of space wine has always fascinated me. In fact, I invented an entire series of paintings and stories called The Intergalactic Sommeliers. Imagine the terroir of an astroid!
Funny enough, from my series and Star Trek to that first voyage around the globe, no matter past, present, or future, wine is always a liquid made from grapes that people love. Captain Picard comes from a family of vintners!
While true that wine as a whole has gotten better with the advancement of technology and understanding the importance of cleanliness, we’re still into the same liquid some thousand years after its discovery. So why wouldn’t Worf et al. be drinking anything other than fermented grape juice in the year 2000-whatever?
Of course, the future of wine is in for a rude awakening. Climate change is real and origins, as we know them, are bound to shift from consistent greatness to “a year like its glory days” at best.
But the future is still wine. The shape of the bottle may change. Perhaps something like the United Federation of Planets Andorian Blue Chardonnay will become more than a gimmick…
As Spock said, “Change is the process of all existence.”
New vineyards are being planted among the extremes more and more each year. Wine from Patagonia is a thing and some of it is good. Take a look at southern England’s enological endeavors.
Perhaps in a galaxy far far away, they are cultivating grapes on Martian soil?
I hope the liquid is silver.
As cliché as it feels to repeat, “in these uncertain times,” one thing is certain, wine as we know it is changing. Now is the time to purchase and safely house wines worthy of comparison, nostalgia, whatever we may experience in 10-15-20+ years from now.
Aren’t you slightly excited at the prospect of comparing a 100-point rated fortified from New Mexico with an 1888 of the Duoro’s finest?
Again, “in these uncertain times,” it’s difficult to think ahead, but one thing is for certain: Past, present, or future, if you love wine, it will remain the same.