After the series 'Hotel Gems of the World' I have now taken on the challenge of exploring the world of the most imaginative wine estates.

I have captured them in words and images from an original angle

I largely ignored the technicalities of wine production and the oenological description of top wines. But I did delve into the rich history of each domain and took note of the milestones that have steered the wine world in a certain direction. And… I went looking for the people behind the scenes.

After all, it is 'they' who have ensured that we can now fully enjoy the drink of the gods that the Greek mythological figure 'Dionysus' and his Roman alter ego 'Bacchus' symbolise. It is enriching to note that the history of these pearls is an inseparable part of world history in the broad sense of the word. And it's amazing what historical and contemporary figures passed by.

For 8,000 years, the world of wine has been riding the waves of the evolution of civilization. From the 'land of Mesopotamia' between the Tigris and Euphrates, the 'vinis vinifera', the wild vine on which grapes grow, spread to Egypt and the Levant. The first images of the culture of wine drinking date back to about 3,000 years before our era and are found in the land of the Pharaohs. Crete and Greece soon followed, but it was the Roman Empire and the later Christianization that spread wine growing throughout Europe.

Many stories in this book date back to this period. Subsequently, the Spanish colonists, the Dutch during their 'Golden Age' and the British under the motto “Britain rules the Waves” ensured a worldwide expansion of this exquisite product, the cradle of which is France and by extension the Mediterranean basin. I would like to take you on this fascinating journey of discovery…

Luc Quisenaerts