Precious but perishable Due to poor storage in wooden barrels in the middle ages, wine tended to deteriorate quickly. This led to England, the major consumer of the time, importing claret from Bordeaux which was close, and the stronger, longer lasting, malmsey and sack (sherry) from the eastern Mediterranean and Spain. “The slopes of gold” looks at the rise of the great vineyards of Burgundy where each tiny vineyard produces individual wine whose qualities are determined by the geology of the area.