The fermentation of yeast is a natural process in a container of grapes and probably dates back to the palaeolithic period. The earliest wine jars discovered are more than 7,000 years old, from north-west Iran. King Tutankhamun was entombed with 26 wine jars from his regnal year, the first evidence of vintage wines. In ancient Greece wine drinking became symbolic of "tasting the pleasures of life before death", the origin of "carpe diem", or as Horace said: "seize the day, trusting little in the future". In the age of Homer, wine was used to sterilise wounds. Scientists have now shown that the polyphenols do indeed have antibacterial properties, and may even slow down the ageing process. From Homer's "wine-dark sea" and The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam ("Drink wine, to make thee unaware / Of all the griefs that vex the mind") to Arnulf Rainer's blood-red painting Wine Crucifix (1957), Varriano's beautifully illustrated and detailed study shows how wine has inspired us in art, literature and religion. It is the perfect drinking companion.