It’s amazing that in this complicated world we live in, many of the most satisfying things are so simple. Food, friends, family, wine…wine. The nectar of the gods is as simple as it gets – it’s the oldest alcoholic beverage in the world, and the only one that’s made from just one ingredient – grapes. Proof positive that simple things satisfy.
It’s generally accepted that wine was made for the first time in Persia somewhere around 6000 BC. From there, winemaking spread to Egypt, and on to Greece between 5000 and 4000 B.C. You may have encountered local wines on your travels in places where you just don’t expect wine, like Madagascar (see the story below). But it was in Greece that winemaking changed from a simple craft to an art, and the fruits of the vine took on such importance in the diet and culture of Greece that wine lore was woven into Greek mythology.
The ancient Greeks paid homage to Dionysus, son of Zeus and Semeli, a creature with the mind of a man and the instincts of a beast – the god of fertility, wine and theatre. (Do those three always go together? Hmm.) The importance of wine in ancient Greece is highlighted by city names such as Oenofyta, Oenoe and Oenotria, which all trace their roots back to the Greek Oenos, or ‘wine’.
Unlike today, in ancient Greece wine was almost always drunk diluted with water (eww!) and was divided into four categories – the sweet, the honeyed, the ripe, and the soft. It was drunk by infants and the elderly alike. It is not an exaggeration to say that Greece was back then what France is today, in terms of wine. There was a decline in wine cultivation started during the end of the Byzantine empire in the 13th century A.D., and grapevines were virtually vanished during the Ottoman empire. Today, Greece is back on the world map with a fine selection of white and red wines.
Wine making in South Africa is a far cry from that of Greece. SA is a young country, it’s in Africa, and viticulture was imported from the Old World. Guess where vineyards were established first – California, Australia or South Africa? That’s right, on the Dark Continent. Jan van Riebeeck, the first governor of the Cape, planted a vineyard in 1655; California followed in 1697; and Australia and New Zealand in 1813. And I thought Australian wines were miles ahead of SA!
The secret is that the climactic and topographic conditions around the Cape of Good
Hope simulate those of the old wine countries, and that’s where the continent’s finest wines are produced. Today the best of South African wine is up there with the rest of the world’s. The industry is small, ranking 16th with about 1.5% of global plantings, but production, at seventh position, accounts for 3% of the world’s wine.
Tour the vineyards of Stellenbosch, sample the wares and take in Table Mountain and
the rest of the jewel of South Africa before jumping on board our grand tour of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana’s Okavango Delta and Zambia’s Victoria Falls on
Dunes, Delta and Falls.
In Greece, the best wines during Classical period were produced in the northern and eastern Aegean islands of Thasos, Lesvos, Chios and Samos. Guess where we set sail on our
Greek Islands Adventure? See for yourself if this area’s wines are as refined as history maintains...until mid-October!
Bringing Adventure to the Street
On August 12th, G.A.P Adventures will open the doors to our new adventure concept store in the heart of Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood. Come by 346A Bloor St. (Bloor & Spadina) and check out the future of travel. The store is an extension of our non-corporate culture - an open, friendly environment filled with lively world music, video screens playing adventure clips and plenty of informational and entertaining special events.
G.A.P’s founder Bruce Poon Tip explains the idea behind the venture: “Clients have told us that they want to learn more about the places they’re going to visit and talk to people who have been there. The concept store is the perfect venue for them to learn about how exciting adventure travel can be”.
The Vancouver store, is already open at 1130 Mainland Street. For more news and contests relating to the store openings, visit
www.gapadventures.com/store.
Postcards from the Edge: Audio Treats
Sometimes it’s what you hear that resonates most…
When travellers return from their adventures, often their fondest memories are of what they saw. Historical landmarks, breathtaking sunsets and bustling markets conjure up images that will forever be etched in the mind's eye. I will always remember Spain, however, not for what I saw, but for what I heard.
It is these sounds that for me represent the embodiment of what life in Spain is like. The joyous giggles of a child building a sandcastle on a sun soaked beach in Cadiz, completely unaware, and perhaps indifferent, to the futility of the task as the night's tides will wash away her day's work. The monotonous, rehearsed and tired chant of a local vendor, trying to sell his wares to the passerby's. The sporadic, high pitched squeal that emanates from the horns of the scooters that the youth of Spain prefer, as they dart in and out of traffic, ignoring pedestrians and, at times, red lights.
It is these sounds, coupled with the inaudible murmurs of the locals as they go about their daily routine, that in my mind create an aural collage that could never be reproduced, en masse, on a postcard for all to experience. These memories and these sensations are all mine and for others to understand what I felt, they need only to travel to Spain, close their eyes and open their ears.
Martin Ostrovsky,
G.A.P Adventures I.T. Development
Share your interesting travel stories with us:
editor@gap.ca. We might print it for all to enjoy.
Madagascar Grey Wine
After many days of camping and roughing it in the remote reaches of Madagascar, my few Swedish travelling friends, our guide and I made it back to the ubiquitous ‘National Route 7’ that runs the length of this African island nation. We found ourselves excited to be travelling on asphalt. Yes, strange, but true. The craters and red dust clouds that we had been accustomed to while travelling around the outskirts of the island had now given way to a solid, relatively smooth surface. Thoughts of heading back to some sort of civilization creeped into our heads as we made our way to the cultural capital of Madagascar - Fianarantsoa.
Even more exciting was that this was wine country. We passed by some fields of grapes vines, which I suppose would be considered vineyards, as our guide informed us that this was where the best wines of Madagascar were made. We were in for a real treat, or so we thought.
A few hours later, we assembled at our hotel, everyone looking and smelling a lot cleaner after much needed showers to remove the seemingly permanent red dirt of Madagascar that coats everything from your clothes to your hair and gets in your nose, eyes and everywhere else.
Tonight we would dine on Zebu (local beef) and enjoy some great local "vins gris". None of us had experienced grey wine before, so this was to be a special dinner. Sure, grey wine is not exclusive to Madagascar, but to us it was an opportunity that we had to take advantage of. We had become accustomed to drinking warm Three Horses Beer for the past couple of weeks. Now that we were sitting in a real restaurant with menus (even a wine menu), the excitement was high. Red wine? No. White wine? No. We wanted the grey wine.
The meal started with a little crusty bread and a mysterious but tasty soup. The waiter finally arrived with our cherished bottle of grey wine. My Swedish friends and I said "Skol" and took our first sips of this special elixir. Hmmm. Interesting. Different. We were all quiet, until finally one of us stated the obvious. "It's not very good." No, the bottle hadn't gone bad, that was just the way it was. The grey wine simply wasn't that great. The anticipation had built us up for disappointment. The meal was fantastic, and some of us managed still to down a glass or two of grey wine, but by the end of the meal most of us had ended up drinking our staple, Three Horses Beer.
Of course, our local guide didn't tell us until afterwards that the grey wine was not the best choice, and we should have gone with a decent red wine, which were overall much better. But then again he preferred beer, so who was he to say? Besides, how many people have had grey wine from Madagascar?
Red Hunt, G.A.P Adventures Marketing
What do you know about Madagascar? Would you like to see G.A.P Adventures offer trips to this great island that is much more than lemurs and Baobab trees?
Let us know.
Where in the World?
Peyton Bowman of Newport, Arkansas, was the first to guess both photos in the last edition of bridging the gap – Radcliffe Camera, Oxford, England and the Amazon River in Peru. So many of you had Oxford right but picked Thailand for the other photo. Better luck next time, and way to go Peyton!
For your chance to win a G.A.P Adventures discount voucher and a pair of Rip Curl boardshorts,
guess where these two shots were taken. Don’t forget to include your mailing address along with your submission!
The G.A.P Adventures Top 5: Chilean Wines
If you’re an onophile, do we have the trip for you! Here are some of the top picks from gourmet cook and G.A.P Adventures' VP Sales & Marketing David Bowen.
As G.A.P Adventures Adventure's newest
exploratory gourmet traveller trip nears, my frantic preparation consists mainly of visiting my local government-run liquor store here in Toronto, affectionately known as the "LCBO", as I search for wines that you will surely get a chance to try in earnest, in person, if you join me on my trip this September 18th.
Below are five wines that have my nod of approval and should tickle our palates on the first three days of the journey in and around the city of Santiago, Chile.
I still have a few spots open, so please join me and help research next year's new Gourmet trips, and if you can't make it, well, enjoy the wines anyways.
1 - Almaviva, 1997 Red Table Wine, Puente Alto, Chile - $60: Vivid purple hue. Complex, shifting aromas of citrus blossom, black raspberry, black pepper and iodine. Velvety, opulent, concentrated black raspberry flavors; lush and intense with huge, ripe tannins and a bitter chocolate-coffee finish. Score: 94
2 - Casa Lapostolle, 1997 Clos Apalta, Apalta Valley, Rapel, Chile - $40: Shimmering, intense purple hue. Aromas of licorice and violets. Powerful black raspberry and powdered cocoa flavors; silky and smooth with a long, bittersweet chocolate finish. Score: 92
3 - Don Amado, 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Especial, Cachapoal Valley, Rapel, Chile - $20: Limpid purple hue. Sweet cherry blossom and cedar aromas. Opulent, intense, black cherry flavors; generous, ripe tannins and a long, lean, fruit-infused finish. Score: 91
4 - Montes Alpha, 1997 'M,' Santa Cruz (Colchagua), Chile - $60: Deep ruby hue. Sweet oak and black cherry aromas. Sweet, juicy red plum flavors; lively acid, firm tannins and medium body with a dark chocolate finish. Score: 89
5 - Seña, 1996 Red Table Wine, Aconcagua Valley, Chile - $55: Vivid violet hue. Intense, shifting aromas of sweet cedar and violets. Concentrated, lively flavors of sweet black plum and caramel; silky and smooth, excellent balance with a long, fruity finish. Score: 92
Last Minute Departures – 20% off
This promotion is valid for new bookings only, and is not valid in conjunction with any other offer. To qualify for the discount, please quote Promo # LM08015. Bookings must be made online at
www.gapadventures.com or through your travel agent. A listing
of preferred travel agents can be found on our website.
Arctic
20% off Arctic if you purchase charter airfare with G.A.P Adventures
Arctic & Newfoundland Adventure September 8 to 28
Arctic & Davis Strait Adventure September 8 to 18
Newfoundland & Labrador Adventure September 18 to 28
South America
Southern Cross-LaPaz to Rio August 29 to September 22
Southern Cross-Lima to Rio (no Permits) August 9 to September 22
The Ecuador Experience August 25 to September 11
Choquequirao September 4 to 11
Peru Panorama (Lares Trail or Cuzco Stay only) September 28 to October 12
Absolute Peru – Lares Trek September 21 to October 11
Highlights of Peru September 21 to October 11
Peru Panorama – Lares Trek September 21 to October 12
Peru Hike Bike & Raft – Lares Trek September 18 to October 3
Central America
Panama Experience – San Jose to Panama City August 30 to September 13
Costa Rica Adventure August 27 to September 11
Costa Rica Quest September 17 to 25
Europe
Amalfi Coast September 3 to 10
Costa Brava Explorer September 10 to 17
Spain Hike Bike & Raft September 5 to 19
The Moorish Empire September 3 to 11
Africa
Botswana & Falls Adventure August 24 to September 5
South Africa Encompassed September 17 to October 4
