Divine Vintage: Wine Tasting & Conversation

Tuesday, November 13th 2012, 7:30pm

From Shiraz to Chardonnay, wine has been an essential part of the Jewish and Christian religious experience for millennia. These early traditions continue to influence today's robust wine connoisseurs offering a fascinating history and an assortment of varieties to discover. Wine expert Joel Butler teams up with biblical historian Randall Heskett for a remarkable adventure that explores the drinking habits of biblical figures 3,500 to 2,000 years ago. Along the way, they discover the truth behind how wine infiltrated the biblical world and astounding facts that any wine lover can take to their next tasting, including:

  • Why the Fertile Crescent was the birthplace of wine
  • How the expansion of the Roman Empire resulted in the first wine connoisseurs
  • The myths of the Phoenician, Greek, Roman, and Jewish wine gods
  • How wine came to be used in sacrifices and other rites
  • Why Jesus's first miracle was turning water into wine

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13 @ 7:30pm
JCC EAST BAY, 5811 RACINE STREET, OAKLAND
$10 General, $8 Members, Seniors, Students
Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/271054

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Joel Butler is only the second resident Master of Wine in the US. He is currently the president of the Institute of Masters of Wine, North America, and has been a highly regarded wine judge for decades, most recently as a Senior Judge at the International Wine Challenge, and Decanter World Wine Awards in London. Butler has written on wine for The Los Angeles Times, The Sunday Times, The Independent and numerous wine publications. He has worked as a wine maker as well as a buyer for restaurants, retail, and distribution. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

Randall Heskett is an independent biblical scholar with a Ph.D. in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. He has taught at the University of Toronto, Queen’s University, and Denver Seminary, among others. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.