Probably, no other drink in the history of mankind has caused so much discussion and debate. Many localities and peoples are still fighting for the championship and claim that it was they who invented the fermented grape juice, and those who do not claim to be champions believe that only they, for example, can make a real drink in accordance with all the rules! The history of wine has more than one millennium. Archeologists and oenologists (researchers studying wine), by the way, still cannot give unambiguous answers to traditional questions: โWho, where, when?โ But, according to the latest data, 10,000 years ago, people already knew what cultivated grapes (or Vitis Vinifera) are. And already in those days with pleasure they ate berries and drank juice from it. During the excavations, scientists extracted shards of clay amphora presumably with the remains of wine, and the first documentary history of wine - drawings and texts-certificates of the drink - dates back to the 4th millennium BC.
Of course, itโs pretty hard to say for sure when people began to consume fermented juice en masse. What is meant by the term "wine"? This is a drink with a low / average percentage of alcohol that is made by alcoholic fermentation of grapes (wort, juice) or pulp. According to modern historical data, viticulture and distilleries were cultivated in the most ancient times, at the dawn of mankind. For example, in Syria and Transcaucasia, Mesopotamia and the kingdom of Egypt, the vine appeared up to 7,000 years ago. Different filtration and preparation methods became known even then. And the archaeological finds serve as confirmation of the facts: ancient Egyptian bas-reliefs, cuneiform texts, Mesopotamian carvings, as well as some other sources. Even then, people knew how to cook and drink wine.
Egyptian background
Egypt became one of the first countries in the Mediterranean where people began cultivating grape varieties. Here the wine was produced in small quantities, and the divine drink was used mainly for religious purposes, for holidays and ceremonies. Note that only a limited circle of nobles and priests was allowed to drink wine.
Ancient Greeks
Approximately 3,000 years ago, wine culture has already established itself in Greece. The history of wine began here in Crete and Cyprus, Samos and Lesbos - a drink from these places was most valuable. Greece was in optimal climate conditions, and therefore the Greek vines, by definition, could be considered one of the best to carry out winemaking. History already at that time mentioned more than 100 varieties of the drink from 150 varieties of vines.
Features of the then production
For the purpose of fermentation, wine (young) fell into the cellar in rather capacious vessels, which were fumigated with sulfur (the process lasted up to six months, and sometimes more). Sweet wines were obtained by suppressing fermentation, and subsequently stored in the cold. Often the wine insisted on raisins. These drinks wandered very slowly, only after five years of play, the wine was poured into amphorae, supplied with labels: it indicated the place of production, years of harvest, availability of additives, color. For the longest time, the best varieties of wine were aged. The fermentation cellar was also equipped accordingly.
Dionysus and his role
According to Greek mythology, this art was owned by Dionysus, the god who was then called the master of wine making. In the mythology of antiquity, one of the names of God was Bacchus (in the Latin version - Bacchus), and a very cheerful disposition was attributed to him. And in ancient Rome he had to manage the drinking of fermented juice. Bacchanalia (special festivities) was dedicated to Bacchus (Bacchus). And the duties of this god on earth were performed by toasts and cupbearers.
Greek legend
Since ancient times, deep mankind has been engaged in viticulture. According to one of the Greek legends, the shepherd Estafilos found the vine. It is said that he went to find the missing sheep. Subsequently, he managed to see that she was eating grape leaves. Estafilos decided to collect from the vines a few fruits unknown to anyone at that time in order to take the berries to Oinos, his master. Oinos squeezed the juice from the bunches. And he noticed that over time the drink became even more fragrant: it turned out to be wine. The history of its manufacture in general, it should be noted, is very diverse.
Supplementary Ingredients
According to the technology of the ancient Greeks, it was added: salt and ash, gypsum and white clay, olive oil and pine nuts, crushed almonds and dill seed, mint and thyme, cinnamon and honey. The ingredients that were used in ancient Greek execution are time-tested today: today they continue to be used to make wine. Its quality sometimes directly depends on them.
Wines in ancient Greece, according to studies, had a high alcohol content, sugar content, and extractiveness. For example, a drink obtained from grapes, but with the addition of boiled vine juice or honey, turned out to be very thick. And the custom of diluting wine with water arises not only from desires to reduce its intoxicating effect, but also because of too much concentration of such a drink as wine, whose history goes back to ancient times.
Skorus cellars and rituals
These were the most famous cellars of ancient times. It contained more than 300,000 amphorae that were filled with the then-famous wines, and there were about 200 species. The ancient Greeks, like the Romans, always preferred red dark wine. It was usually served twice a day (at least): for dinner and breakfast. Drinking this drink was accompanied by rituals. At first, everyone drank wine without diluting them, in honor of the god Dionysus, and after that they shed a few drops on the ground, as a sign of the dedication of the drink to his beloved deity. Then craters were fed - bowls of not too large sizes, possessing two handles. Wine and cold water from a spring (in various proportions) were mixed in this dish. Drinking was accompanied by conversation, and guests listened to music with verses, enjoying the performance of the dancers. According to the then existing rules, it was necessary to drink for the health of all those present, give thanks to the deities (other than Dionysus), and remember those who were absent at the banquet. Sometimes even competitions were arranged: who would drink the most. They drank red intoxicating liquid mainly representatives of the stronger sex. And women in general were extremely rarely allowed to the table.
Roman history
The history of wine continued with success in ancient Rome. The Romans, of course, borrowed the basic technologies for the production and cultivation of vines for a drink from the Greeks. In those days, mass production increased even more, and in the imperial era, winemaking was widespread in all the provinces of the empire. During this period, Chios wines (from the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea) and Falerna from Italy (Falerno) were most appreciated.
Roman craftsmen significantly improved the technological process of distilleries, developed a technique for aging / fermentation of wine in sunlight, there was a longer exposure of products in amphorae. For example, in the writings of Horace there are even references to a 60-year-old drink, in the evidence of Pliny the Elder it is said about the wine of 2 centuries of aging. It is easy to believe, since current strong wines (sherry, sauternes) can only improve with aging of 100 years. Roman citizens used flavored wines, and also used them in cooking.
Ancient wine export
In the ancient Roman era, the sale of intoxicated drinks was a privilege of Italy. This was so until Sample allowed unlimited supply of wine and vine cultivation. Export Italian penetrated all corners of the world, reaching even, for example, India, Scandinavia, Slavic territories. The Celts, by the way, in those years could sell a slave for one amphora of quality wine. And even higher graders were rated as slave-growers who knew how to make hoppy, and they were quoted much better than slaves of another profession.
Wine (winemaking, as already mentioned, reached significant proportions in those days) was consumed at that time in a rather large volume per capita. For example, according to historical data, each slave received at least 600 milliliters of cheap and light drink (made from squeezed) every day. Drinking with the gentlemen was accompanied by certain rituals that were similar to the ancient Greek. But to drink wine in Rome was allowed only to men who have reached the age of 30.
Gaul and others
For the first time, vineyards outside of Italy began to appear in Gaul (6-7 century BC), but, according to researchers, at first the vine was planted there solely for nutrition. But soon in Gaul (1st century), the drink gained quite wide popularity: it began to be produced in large quantities. Winemaking developed, and not only among the Gauls. Along with imported varieties from Rome, many European regions cultivated wild grapes. For example, in the valleys of the Danube and the Rhine, the Rhone and other places. In the 5th century, the subtleties of production, in one way or another, were recognized in many places in southern and central Europe.
Roughly speaking, the boundaries of the zone of winemaking and wine production are the 49th degree of northern latitude, a line conditionally drawn from the mouth of the Loire (France) to the North Caucasus and the territories of modern Crimea. All not too numerous wine growing regions that are located to the north are added to this zone by the centuries-old efforts of painstaking selection work. It should be noted that on the territory of the Crimean peninsula, even in antiquity, colonists from Greece grew vine, but its crops were later almost completely destroyed by Muslims.
Persian story
The Persians also have their own legend of the origin of wine. Once, King Jamshid, having rested under the canopy of the tent, observing the training of his archery archers, was distracted by the situation unfolding at a distance. A fairly large bird fell into the snake's mouth. Jamshid immediately gives the order to the shooters: kill the reptile immediately. One of the shots managed to defeat a snake, hitting his head. When the bird escaped from the snake's mouth, it flew up to the ruler of Persia and dropped the grains from its beak. Of these, branched bushes were obtained, which give a lot of fruits and berries. Jamshid really liked the juice from these berries, but when once they brought him a little fermented juice, he began to get angry and ordered to hide the drink. Time passed, and one beautiful concubine of the king began to suffer from severe headaches, so much that she wished to die. She found a rejected container with fermented juice and drank everything to the bottom. Then the slave fell insensibly, but did not die, but fell asleep. And waking up, the slave again became pretty, healthy, cheerful. Jamshid also found out about this healing news. And then he decided to proclaim this sour juice from delicious fruits as a medicine.
Dark middle ages
In those ancient times, the distribution of wines was facilitated by several factors: the strengthening of Christianity and the active development of navigation.
Moreover, the clergy not only strongly encouraged the use of wine for ritual purposes, but also developed technology, contributing to its mass production and drinking. And today, varieties traditionally produced in monasteries are highly regarded.
And thanks to the development of seafaring, the countries where the wine was produced could establish appropriate trade relations with both nearby neighbors and other continents. The following misconception is widespread that the wines fell to the Chinese and Japanese on these ships, but in fact, these drinks existed there before, they simply often turned out to be prohibited by the rulers.
In connection with the developed export in England sherry with Madeira became in demand - the British began to drink wine, just like water. In the Middle Ages no one heard about tea, and it was wine that was served during each meal. The world was already conquered by him.
The role of Christianity
In the development of winemaking, the adoption of the Christian Church in Europe, which encouraged the production of wine, played a huge role. In the Middle Ages, many monastic orders actively supported viticulture . Every monk was supposed to have 300 grams of drink per day, but even with the increase of this norm, no one was punished. At first, wooden barrels were used in the manufacture, which were invented by the Gauls. And a well-known technology was developed: wines were poured into barrels, aged there, and transported in them. From that time, European technologies began to acquire a character close to modern production.
The history of wine in Russia
According to official documents, it is believed that winemaking in Russia was organized in 1613. Then in Astrakhan on the monastery territory the first seedlings of vines brought by merchants are planted. Grapes take root perfectly. In the same year, at the behest of Tsar Mikhail Romanov, the "garden of the sovereign's court" was laid.
By the way, in 1640, a gardener Jacob by the name of Botman was invited from abroad to Astrakhan. He taught local growers the intricacies of the art of growing grapes and along the way improved the irrigation systems: instead of ligies they used irrigation using windmills. From year to year, the production process was adjusted, and already in 1657 the first batch of wine products was sent from Astrakhan to the royal table.
By the way, despite the fact that distilleries appeared in some regions of Russia many centuries ago (the territory of Dagestan, the area of โโthe lower Don River), in Russia they traditionally preferred mead, beer, mash. Industrial production of the drink began only under Peter the Great - the tsar respected foreign technologies, introducing them throughout the country. And he wanted a drink like wine to have its own producer.
In Soviet times, the largest wine-growing state farms were created on the territories of the RSFSR. And in 1928 the most popular Soviet Champagne brand was invented, which was produced at the Abrau-Durso factories (in 1936 - throughout the entire Soviet country).
History of Champagne Wine
There were incidents that became after the highlight. To find out the history of wines, for example, champagne wines, and in another way - light and sparkling - just โrewindโ three and a half centuries. As the name suggests, it appears in France, and Champagne, the French province, becomes the main region for the production of sparkling wine. 1668 is traditionally considered to be the very exact date of the birth of bubbly wine, when Godino, abbot-canon of the Reims Cathedral, describes in the church book โa drink with a light color, almost white, full of gasesโ. After a couple of decades, the country was already experiencing a real sparkling boom. Champagne in France is in fashion, which allows to improve production and improve technology.
And by the way, it is quite real that the sparkling one appeared by chance. The distilleries of antiquity also knew the characteristics of some wines, which, having fermented, again begin to ferment in the spring, and gases formed in the tanks. Such properties have traditionally been considered a side effect in winemaking, and did not attach much importance to this. On the contrary, they even considered it a consequence of the not very high-quality work of the winemakers. But in the second half of the 17th century, the situation changed. And the wine produced in the French abbeys has become very popular. And talented and inventive winemakers, such as House Perignon and Udar, created and improved production technologies for sparkling wine.