Wine and winemaking in the history

The wine appeared at the dawn of humanity. As is known, wine can inspire a creative person to create masterpieces, but can also destroy it.

In ancient times over 6,000 years ago the Sumerians in Mesopotamia the goddess Hestia took under his patronage the vineyards and wine making. Perhaps that is why the feeling of “gentle womanhood” in fine wines such as Burgundian Pinot Noir.
But the masculine spirit brought God of Ancient Egypt Osiris who taught the people how to properly care for wild grape vines, then to make a great wine.

Among the Greeks this God was Dionysus. In Rome they called him Bacchus, who, according to mythology, was a Jolly man and prankster, though, and one of the sons of the mighty Zeus. Bacchus helped people at least temporarily forget about boredom and plenty to enjoy life. It was accompanied throughout such as himself, merry company: satyrs with goat legs, saucy girl (bacchantes) and the elderly Silenus seated on a docile donkey… Festival was irresistibly funny, there was an abundance of meats and wines, and of course, love in all its manifestations. These holidays were represented not only the ancient masters who painted stories on this topic on ancient vessels, but the famous artists Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Rubens, etc.

Superiority in the manufacture of wine, of course, belongs to the ancient Greeks. Their wine – mostly red – have always been sweet, strong and aromatic. Glory is made in Rhodes and Chios wines came in the Chronicles and other documents of antiquity to our time. Homer writes about these wines is that they are extremely honey-sweet, sweet-scented and fragrant. They can be diluted with water in the ratio of one to twenty, and still they had not lost their piercing aroma.

Growers and winemakers are constantly carried out new experiments. For example, so that the wine does not turn sour, flavored it with salt or gypsum, and sometimes the ashes of burnt vines. Crushed almonds (sweet or bitter), raisins, honey and other sweets-spice gave the wine a special flavor. This was also used infusions of aromatic and medicinal plants. For example, the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (V – IV century BC) recommended that winemakers add to wine a tincture of wormwood, to obtain a medicinal drink. Subsequently, this wine became known as vermouth.

Wine fermentation occurred in an open space in Sunny weather or in the basement in huge clay vessels called pithoi. Before you pour into them the wine of the new harvest they are carefully washed, dried and then fumigated with sulfur. Barrels at that time had not yet been invented, and the wine is aged from five to ten years in the amphora, which indicates the year and place of its receipt, and also a list of all the ingredients that were added.

The law of Rome protected their monopoly of the wine trade. And only in the third century ad Caesar Probus removed all restrictions for the provincial cities. From this time begins the countdown of European wine. Taste wines made from grapes soon learned the residents of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as distant India.

In the Italian Campaign region Falernum got its fame thanks to the famous Falernian white wine, which is still a masterpiece and is currently being produced in its homeland.

In those far away times, wine presses had not been invented, and men did it barefoot. But, interestingly, in some fairly large wineries, this method is used now, even in the manufacture of so-called noble wines.

Nowadays, winemakers, mainly produce dry wine. This name migrated to our days from ancient times. The ancient inhabitants of Greece and Rome drank wine, diluting it with water. And even condemn the barbarians, among which were also the Scythians, for the use of undiluted wine, and is called dry.

Many poets sang of the joy which produces good wine. For example, the poet of Ancient Greece, Anacreon, who lived in VI – V centuries BC, with its beautiful poetry, a few centuries later translated our poet Alexander Pushkin.

Wine diluted with water in various proportions, sometimes instead of water, added ice. (see the article about the dilution of wine with water).

Nowadays, wine is produced during the fermentation of grape juice to the disappearance of sugar in it. This wine seems sour to those who privy to drink a Soviet semi-sweet and sweet wines. However, most connoisseurs prefer dry wine because it largely reveals the bouquet and flavor potential of the drink.

In ancient times, wine was poured in huge ceramic vessels (craters), and the meal poured them out oinkie (special jug with three necks). To drink used a flat bowl on a stem and handles (on the outside) or an oval vessel – Fiala. This vessel accommodates about 50 grams of wine.

To cool the wine, it was placed in a vessel made of porous ceramics. There poured the cold water in which it is afloat kept a container of wine. Wine consumed and hot, heating it in a copper autotask (which became the progenitors of the current samovars). In autocase side was a pipe – it was powdered fuel (charcoal); the wine is heated for three to four minutes.

In Rome, senior citizens preferred to eat lying down. RAB-nomenclature followed closely so that guests or family members held stock in accordance with their position. Quite often in such feasts involved a young hetaera. But married women in Symposium not allowed. The participants wore on his head a garland of Myrtle (according to legend, Myrtle relieves intoxication), and on the neck a garland of flowering plants. The body was anointed with fragrant ointment. Quite often to bet who will drink more wine, without becoming intoxicated. There were other improvisations. Controlled schedule Symposium elected by the participants of the feast, the “arbiter bibendi” (hyles).

In Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, there was a wonderful law. Wine cannot be consumed before thirty-five years. After all, a great value at that time was congenital or acquired sense of proportion…

Time, when the ancient fairy Persia the rules of the legendary Jamshid Shah, often called the Golden age. That he attributed to the fact that he taught the people various crafts, animal skins were replaced by woven garments, sewn, and the population was divided into classes, the notion of statehood.

Shah daily at any time of the year during the dinner drink a bowl of slightly fermented grape juice. One of his favorite slaves complained to the Shah to a painful headaches and long-term insomnia, which she has not been able to endure, and preferred to drink the poison just to escape the torment. Shah has secretly decreed in the bowl instead of the poison I poured the wine. After drinking it, the beauty is ready to die, but instead, it finally left a headache. Then the slave he drank two more cups and fell asleep. After a few days, she woke up completely healthy, delighted the Shah. After this incident, the Shah issued a decree which allowed to produce and drink wine, which is conducive to health.

It took a few centuries and compatriot of the legendary Jamshid Omar Khayyam not fearing the punishment of the clergy praised the wine in his Rubaiyat.

And a few words about champagne

The mere word “Champagne” makes us feel some emotion. Champagne in the glass pleasing to the eye sparkling in the light of the rising bubbles, amazing game.
The first buyer of champagne – the French king Louis XIV was able to appreciate good wine and fine dining. At Versailles for the king was built the extraordinary Palace with the Gallery of Mirrors, and in Paris was lit the street lights. Champagne is his playfulness has added more lights in the reign of Louis XIV.

However, the Royal court physician was able to achieve that king at the end of his life ordered not to give him champagne and after some time died.

The people decided that the champagne has curative qualities and began to consume him even more.

In 1806 the French Clicquot, burying her husband, tried to implement his champagne on the Russian market. But soon the war began. In 1814, Napoleon abdicated, and on the way to champagne Russian soldiers found the cellar of the widow, which was full of wine. Soldiers to celebrate the victory practically emptied the cellars. One of the winemakers cried the mistress: “Madame! They knock down castles and drinking wine!”. But Madame suddenly said: “Let them drink, then pay!”. A few months later champagne “Veuve Clicquot” has been sold in St. Petersburg for 12 rubles. per bottle. Admirer champagne Clicquot was Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. “Clicquot” and is now considered a prestigious brand of wine.

Good luck with tastings!