Podcast Summary: Le Cours de l’histoire –

"Laure Gasparotto, mettre de l’histoire dans son vin"

Date: January 9, 2026
Host: Xavier Mauduit (France Culture)
Guest: Laure Gasparotto (journalist, author, wine historian)

Overview of the Episode’s Main Theme

This episode of “Le Cours de l’histoire” explores the profound and millennia-old relationship between wine, civilization, and history, through the lens of Laure Gasparotto’s research and writing. Tracing a journey from medieval Burgundy to ancient Persia and modern diasporas, the discussion highlights how wine serves as a mirror to social, cultural, and even political evolution, acting as both symbol and transmission belt between epochs and peoples.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Laure Gasparotto’s Personal and Academic Journey into Wine History

• First Encounters: While doing historical research on medieval Burgundy at the Sorbonne (with historian Philippe Contamine), Gasparotto discovers tangible links between ancient and modern winemaking families.
• Living Tradition: The continuity of gestures, names, and winemaking practices in Burgundy spans centuries, visible even in modern vineyard visits.
• Transformation of Winemaking: There has been more change in methods since the 1990s than in the centuries before, with significant progress in oenology (03:00–04:00).

Wine as a Mirror of Society and Sociology

• Gasparotto comes to see wine as “un miroir de société” – a tool for reading social and historical dynamics across time and place (03:35–04:40).

The Eastern Origins of Wine – “Quand l’Orient inventait le vin”

• A Diaspora Story: Gasparotto recounts receiving a mysterious bottle called “Cyrus 559,” made by Massrouh Macaremi, an Iranian political refugee. The year 559 commemorates the founding of the Persian Empire and is a powerful symbol for diasporic identity (05:22–10:09).
• Wine as a Link to Homeland: Planting Syrah in Bergerac echoes the city of Shiraz in Iran and highlights how wine becomes a locus of memory for displaced communities.

Poetry, Refinement, and the Cultural Symbolism of Wine

• Persian Poetry: Raphaël Laloum reads verses by Omar Khayyam, showing wine as a timeless metaphor for love and spiritual longing, persisting even after Islamic prohibitions (10:36–13:18).
• Artifacts and Aesthetics: Persian wine objects, both in function and artistry, reflect a sophisticated, intertwined approach to content and container (11:49–13:04).

Historical Continuities & Scientific Discoveries

• Transmission of Wine and Techniques:
  • Transfer of grape varieties and winemaking knowledge follows the routes from the Fertile Crescent/Central Asia towards Europe.
  • Recent genomic research confirms that the oldest grape varieties originate from Iran and the broader Middle East, not the Caucasus as previously thought (13:18–17:55).
• The Route of Wine: Ancient trade routes, such as the Silk Road, facilitated not just wine, but cross-cultural exchanges.

Wine, Religion, and Transformation of Meaning

• Turning Point - Christianity: The Last Supper (April 7, year 30) represents the decisive sacralization of wine in Christian tradition, marking the transformation of its meaning (23:09–23:50).
• Sacred and Profane: Wine’s spiritual significance crosses traditions—from ancient Egyptian offerings to Christian sacraments and poetic metaphors for the divine in Persian Sufism.

Social, Cultural, and Medical Aspects of Wine

• Therapeutic Wine: The historic use of wine in medical treatments, like “baths of wine” for physical and mental ailments (25:00–26:59).
• Dangers of Overgeneralization: The episode cautions against imposing Western frameworks on other cultures when interpreting the symbolism of wine (26:07–26:59).

Language, Territory, and the “Climat” Concept

• Climat (Terroir): The uniquely French notion of vineyard “climats” may echo broader notions from Persian civilization, both referring to an ideal, delimited space, be it geographical or imaginary (28:00–33:00).
• Paradise/Paradaïs: “Paradise” as a “delimited garden” connects linguistic, religious, and viticultural traditions (31:24–33:00).

Transmission, Responsibility, and Hope

• Heritage and Innovation: Gasparotto underscores the “heavy responsibility” facing contemporary winemakers, inheriting centuries of tradition but also innovating for the future (44:10–47:21).
• Planting as Commitment: Planting a vine is a symbolic act of hope and projection into the future—an idea echoed by both new and traditional winemakers around the globe.

Modern Changes in Viticulture

• From Gesture to Science: The increasing influence of oenology has made wine more consistent, but potentially less soulful. The ideal is a balance between science and artisan intuition (48:15–51:24).
• The Importance of Place: True “wines of place” express the specific soil, climate, and heritage, not just a standardized product.

Identity, Memory, and Diasporas

• Wine as Identity: For displaced and diaspora communities (Iranians, Afghans), making wine in France is a way of keeping cultural memory alive (13:18–17:55; 41:43–44:10).
• Reception in the Diaspora: Gasparotto’s book is embraced by the Persian community in Paris as a reclamation of lost history (52:35–53:21).

Wisdom, Moderation, and Social Codes

• Codification of Drinking: The role of the “tamada” (Georgian toastmaster), table rituals, and moderation throughout history. “Savoir boire aussi, c'est important” (53:49–54:20).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On History and Discovery:
  • "Quand j'ai commencé à visiter des exploitations viticoles, je me suis rendu compte que les noms des vignerons bourguignons que je rencontrais, c'était les mêmes que ceux de mes archives des XIIIe et XIVe siècles.”
    – Laure Gasparotto (03:00)
• On the Power of Wine as Connection:
  • “C’est comme si le vin, même loin de son pays d’origine, était un nouveau lieu, un lieu imaginaire autour duquel on se retrouve. C’est une symbolique pour moi très intéressante.”
    – Laure Gasparotto (15:46)
• Omar Khayyam Poem:
  • "Verse à mon cœur meurtri cette boisson féconde... Je bois du vin. Partout on me dit, mais on ment, La religion est le vin absolument."
    – Raphaël Laloum (10:36)
• On Sensory Transmission of History:
  • “J’ai fait un siècle d’histoire par mes papilles… C’est incroyable comme les saveurs peuvent véhiculer des mots.”
    – Laure Gasparotto (32:30)
• On Hope and Planting Vines:
  • “Planter de la vigne, c’est une signification qui prouve qu’on va se projeter… on s’engage.”
    – Laure Gasparotto (45:42)
• On Responsibility:
  • “Le vigneron doit être un maillon de la chaîne... il sait qu'il y a eu des prédécesseurs et il sait qu’il va transmettre.”
    – Laure Gasparotto (44:10)
• On Wine’s Origins:
  • “On sait aujourd’hui que les plus vieux cépages... sont nés en Iran et ont été exportés.”
    – Laure Gasparotto (16:30)
• On Moderation and Social Codes:
  • “Savoir boire aussi, c’est important. Oui, parce que le vin est codifié.”
    – Laure Gasparotto (53:49–54:00)
• Conclusion:
  • “Le vin, nous l’entendons et vous nous l’expliquez, comme trait d’union entre des civilisations… Né dans ce qui est aujourd’hui l’Iran, devenu dans notre civilisation cet élément incontournable pour saisir des millénaires d’histoire.”
    – Xavier Mauduit (37:26–38:18)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:09–01:44] Introduction to Laure Gasparotto and her work on the history of wine
• [01:44–04:40] Gasparotto’s academic background; discovering links between medieval and modern Burgundy wine
• [05:22–10:09] The bottle “Cyrus 559”; wine as cultural memory for exiles; origins of Syrah and symbolism
• [10:36–13:18] Persian poetry and the cultural endurance of wine imagery
• [13:18–17:55] Scientific discoveries: genetic origins of grape varieties, movement from East to West
• [23:09–24:21] The Last Supper: pivotal moment in the Christian sacralization of wine
• [28:00–33:00] Notion of "climat" and its possible Persian origins; “paradis” and “place”
• [44:10–47:21] The responsibility and hope in contemporary and inherited winemaking
• [48:15–51:24] Scientific advances in winemaking and the balance with tradition and instinct
• [52:35–53:21] Reception of Gasparotto’s Oriental wine history among Iranian diaspora in Paris
• [53:49–54:20] Codification of drinking customs: moderation, tamada, and conviviality

Tone and Language

The conversation is erudite yet accessible, blending academic insight with vivid anecdotes and poetic language. Gasparotto’s approach is passionnée, but always respectful of nuance and cultural specificity. Xavier Mauduit guides the discussion with gentle humor and curiosity, while literary and historical interludes (poetry readings, archival audio) punctuate the narrative with moments of reflection and emotion.

For Further Listening/Reading

• Books by Laure Gasparotto:
  • Le vin, un peu beaucoup passionnément (Le Robert)
  • Quand l’Orient inventait le vin (Grasset)
  • Vigneronne
• Further Research:
  • Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages by Patrick E. McGovern
  • Studies on the genomic origins of grape varieties (Nature, 2023)

This rich and multilayered episode offers listeners a vibrant interplay between sensory experience, historical inquiry, and poetic imagination—all centered around the eternal glass of wine.