Singular success

Until 1435, paintings were more or less nice representations of images, but for today’s observers a bit bizarre. Figures were painted on flat backgrounds, and objects overlapped or were placed on top of each other. Those paintings convey messages, but they lack something.

Then master painters created a new, more complex, and more emotional dimension to their compositions. Two men made that breakthrough possible: Filippo Brunelleschi and Leon Battista Alberti. The first famously discovered the principles of perspective, while Alberti produced a treatise on its applications to painting. A new art was created out of science.

Making a name

Until 1858, Rioja was a region producing lots of wine, quite common wine. In 1833, Cyrus Redding wrote his masterpiece on wines of the world, A History and Description of Modern Wines. For Spain, he gave many details about Sherry, Val de Peñas (as he wrote it) and other regions, but not a single word about Rioja – this seems incredible today. There was no ambiguity, however: Rioja was not a fine wine region.

Then two expatriated marqueses intervened.. Viticulture was improved, grape selection, de-stemming and extended maceration applied, and – most importantly – the craft of controlled ageing of wine in oak barrels was imported. A new fine wine was created out of science.