Connoisseur Collectibles

 

QUESTION: I love wine. And while I’m not what you call a connoisseur, I do have an appreciation for fine wine and wine culture. Over the years, I’ve assembled a collection of wine labels and about half a dozen antique corkscrews. I’d like to collect other wine-related items but am not sure what to collect. What advice would you give me to start a serious wine-related collection? 

ANSWER: You’re off to a great start. However, you need to research the history of wine making to know all the objects available to collect. In addition, you need to set a budget. Older, ancient wine-related objects can be extremely expensive. 

People have produced wine for around 8,000 years. Evidence of ancient wine production dates to 6,000 BCE in the Republic of Georgia. The development of pottery made fermenting wild grapes grown in what’s now Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, as well as coastal and southeastern Turkey and northern Iran easier.

In ancient Egypt, wine played a ceremonial role. Trade introduced winemaking into the Nile Delta around 3,000 BCE. By this time, people had begun growing grapes in vineyards. By the end of the Old Kingdom, five distinct wines, probably all produced in the Delta, constituted a canonical set of provisions for the afterlife.

But much of modern winemaking came from the ancient Greeks. Wine historians believe that retsina, a white aromatic wine produced in Greece today, is a carryover of the ancient practice of lining wine jugs with tree resin, which gave the wine a distinct flavor.

But of all the ancient cultures, the Romans had the biggest impact on the development of winemaking. Wine was an integral part of the Roman diet, and winemaking was a precise and thriving business. The expansion Winemaking expanded so much that by 92 CE Emperor Domitian was forced to pass the first wine laws.

During the Middle Ages, people from all social classes drank wine where grapes were grown. 

Today, more people have an appreciation for fine food and wine. And unlike objects associated with the preparation, eating, and storage of food, those associated with wine have been less popularized. 

While corkscrews are the most commonly collected of wine-related items, collectors are also interested in ephemera such as wine tags and wine holders. Early postcards, advertising and travel posters are usually colorful and make a nice addition to a collection, as do antique wine racks and holders. In addition, some collectors include wine tasters, funnels, champagne taps, and bottle stoppers in their collections.

Decanter labels, a general term intended to include labels for wines, spirits and sauces, as well as toiletries and medicines are also of interest to collectors. 

Also known as bottle tickets or bottle tags, decanter labels are commonly seen in silver or silver plate, although they were made in a number of other materials, including enamel, porcelain, mother-of-pearl and horn. Collectors look for a variety of different aspects including hallmarks, maker's marks and label design, which vary from plain bin labels used in cellars to beautiful, ornate labels which once adorned fine decanters, elaborate cruets and delicate toilet water bottles.

Other wine-related collectibles include wine coasters, goblets, tankards, port funnels, wine coolers, wine. jugs and pewter tankards. apparatus such as cellar equipment, corking machines. presses, barrel tools, vineyard tools, port decanting cradles, ceramic bin or cellar rack labels and numbers are also garnering interest. Wine collectibles can be displayed anywhere. Collectors often adorn their home bars with wine-related items.

For collectors whose budgets allow, there are ancient and antique wine bottles, wine coolers, antique wine glasses, and more available. 

By far, the most popular wine-related antique/collectible is the corkscrew. Early corkscrews weren’t just intended to open wine. During the 18th and 19th centuries, many items used cork for closer, including beverages of all sorts, medicines, apothecaries, foods, sauces and perfumes. Eventually, most of these items were packaged in other forms, but wines and other spirits still required a corkscrew.

The first American corkscrew patent was issued in 1851. Since that time, more than 1,000 corkscrew patents have been issued in the United States alone, giving collectors an endless selection of shapes, styles and themes in a variety of price ranges.

The Rockwell Clough Company of Alton, New Hampshire, produced a number of wood-sheathed advertising corkscrews for businesses ranging from breweries to laundries and insurance agencies. These have a patent date of October 16, 1900 Those made in the 19th century often had carved ivory, bone or tusk handles and can sell for three figures. There are also corkscrews, dating to about the turn of the 20th century which double as walking sticks.

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