The history of wine dates back to virtually the start of civilization which is replete with mentions of fermented grape juice in the days of the Roman Empire, the birth of Christianity and even further back.

While all of this history influences what we know of wine and how we enjoy it, the more recent past of wine grape growing, winemaking and wine drinking influences today's production quite a lot and helps us understand a wineries approach and why we enjoy certain wines more than others.

Growers, winemakers and retailers are all influenced by their early days of wine consumption. We all started to learn our favorite varietals and styles as we tasted those we liked best in our earliest wine experiences, and while our collective palate continues to evolve knowing the influences on the overall wine "food chain" or should I say "drink chain" will help direct us toward other wines we may like, and also some fun experiments exploring longer standing brands and more ancient grape types.

For winemakers it is easy to track their early influences, just ask them and they will tell you the first glass of wine that put the idea of making their own wine in their head. John Lancaster of Skylark Wine Company will tell you stories of his first time drinking Qupe or Etude, revealing the influence of Bob Lindquist and Tony Soter on his winemaking style. He too will tell you of his contemporary the late Mike Bonacoursi and how he affected his approach to the business side of running a winery and varietal selection.

Closer to home John Abbott's time at Canoe Ridge and its affiliation with Appellation Wine Company and Scott Woodward will be evident when you set a glass of Abeja next to one of the products of AWC and do some objective tasting. The restraint, elegance and depth of the two wines will clearly reveal for you the shared lineage between these two brands.

The fun part for all of us as wine consumers is in the exploration as you start to identify the links between your own favorites, and some of the winemaker's own preferences and their early exposure. Grape growers too are interesting to track. When tasting some of the fruit grown by John Balletto in the Russian River Valley it is unmistakable to see the similarities with John's mentor the late Warren Dutton. John's attention to detail and tight management of his vineyards was learned from Warren and the quality shows in most every wine made from the fruit grown by Balletto Vineyards.

The travel of winemakers and winery owners shows too, in style and varietal selection. A great example is the le Mistral wines from famed Napa Valley winery Joseph Phelps. Joe's time in Provence and the area around the small town of Gordes in the Vaucluse valley know for its fierce Mistral winds explains the varietal selection for the Mistral brand. For an entertaining night of wine tasting open some of the Mistral wines and blind taste them next to wines from this small enclave in the South of France. The similarities are striking and will likely introduce you to some new varietals and flavor profiles.

When it comes to picking your favorite varietals a little knowledge of their lineage helps too. Whether it be Zinfandel and its relation to Primitivo from Italy, or tracking Mourvedre back to the Rhone Valley of France and then even further back to its origins in Spain these tasting journeys will educate your palate on how all things wine related did indeed evolve.

While attending wine tastings with winemakers here at our shop or at the production facilities will identify many of these relationships, you can also ask us about the influences on your favorite wines. Through our relationships with growers and winemakers many times we have learned the stories and can lead you toward other bottlings you will likely enjoy.

For us it is nearly impossible to separate the wines we love from the historical context that helped create them, and it provides the backdrop that for us points us down a path to selecting wines that we find compelling and more importantly are able to select for our customers based on your own wine history book.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.