Vin Mariani
Ξ January 31st, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ A Day at a Time, Wine History, Wineries |
The greatest pleasure to be had writing a wine blog is that of discovery. And today, while researching the health benefits of wine, this is what I found: A certain Paolo Mantegazza (1831-1910) had recently returned from a trip to Peru, and intrigued by the local’s use of coca leaves, he tried them himself. He was inspired, shall we say, and went on to successfully isolate the active ingredient, cocaine, (other sources credit Albert Niemann) and to write, in 1858, a paper entitled On the Hygienic and Medicinal Properties of Coca and On Nervous Nourishment in General, a paper promptly read by French chemist Angelo (Ange-Francois) Mariani, (1838-1914). In 1863 Mr. Mariani produced and marketed Vin Mariani, the world’s first cocawine. It must be remembered that coca was then poorly understood, its addictive properties unknown. Addiction itself, as a physiological condition, was limited to morphine, a grim consequence of The Civil War. Indeed, during what has been called The Great Binge (1870-1914) all species of newly synthesized drugs were naïvely blended in every consumable, from cough syrups, cordials, to children’s toothache drops.
So, stateside, Mr. Mariani, when met with stiff competition from similar domestic tonics, upped his cocaine content from 6 mg per fluid ounce to 7.2 mg per fluid ounce. Enter John Pemberton (1831-1888), a Confederate Civil War veteran and pharmacist out of Georgia. Mr. Pemberton’s biography is too litigious to tease out here. Let’s just say he developed a rival product, and that it, too, was designed to promote health, which in his case included relief from morphine addiction, his and others. Introduced in 1881, it is alleged his vinous product contained 8.46 mg of cocaine per fluid ounce.
Now, all of the above is a fairly routine gloss. I’ve done little more than piece together elements from lazy, contentious public sources. However, what follows is a bit more rigorous. It seems cocawine lives on. 
In Bolivia, for example, there exists a small family-run company, Coincoca. Melby Paz, owner of Coincoca, like many small Bolivian coca drink producers, she provides necessary cultural continuity. In addition to cocawine, her company sells coca-laced remedies for everything from simple coughs to diabetes and obesity, but sells only domestically. Of far greater moment is Vin Mariani Winery , a new Peruvian wine concern. They have resurrected Angelo Mariani’s brand. Coca wine is back, and the new Vin Mariani Winery is looking for markets. I encourage you, dear reader, to take a moment and wander through their web-site linked above. I am especially fond of their Tour de Peru. And if you’ve the time or inclination read the publicity from their U.K. based company, Mariani Amalgamated Ltd. I’ve been told Vin Mariani Winery has an international campaign in the works for sports drinks. Look for them at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Down the rabbit hole we go.
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