The history of wine: the origin of the oldest drink

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Probably no other drink in the history of mankind has caused so much discussion and controversy. Many localities and peoples are still fighting for the championship and claim that it was they who came up with the idea of using fermented grape juice, and those who do not claim to be champions believe: only they, for example, can make a real drink according to all the rules! The history of wine has more than one millennium. Archaeologists and oenologists (researchers who study wine), by the way, still cannot give unambiguous answers to traditional questions: “Who, where, when?” But, according to the latest data, 10,000 years ago people already knew what a cultivated grape (or Vitis Vinifera) was. And already in those days they ate berries with pleasure and drank juice from it. During excavations, scientists have obtained shards of clay amphorae, presumably with the remains of wine, and the first documentary history of wine - drawings and texts of evidence of the drink - dates back to the 4th millennium BC.

Of course, it's pretty hard to tell when peoplefermented juice began to be consumed en masse. What is meant by the term "wine"? This is a drink with a low / medium percentage of alcohol content, which is made by alcoholic fermentation of grapes (must, juice) or pulp. According to modern historical data, viticulture and distilleries were cultivated in the deepest antiquity, at the dawn of mankind. For example, in Syria and Transcaucasia, Mesopotamia and the Egyptian kingdom, the vine appeared before 7,000 years ago. Already then different methods of filtration and preparation became known. And the facts are confirmed by archaeological finds: 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 prehistory

Egypt was one of the first countries in the Mediterranean where people started cultivating grape varieties. Here wine was produced in small quantities, and the divine drink was used mainly for religious purposes, for holidays and rituals. Note that only a limited circle of nobility and priests was allowed to drink wine.

Ancient Greeks

Approximately 3,000 years ago, the wine culture in Greece had already established itself. The history of wine here began in Crete and Cyprus, Samos and Lesbos - the drink from these areas was the most valuable. Greece was in optimal climate conditions, and therefore Greek vines, by definition, could be considered among the best for winemaking. History already at that time mentioned more than 100 varieties of the drink from 150 varieties.vines.

Features of the then production

For the purpose of fermentation, wine (young) fell into the cellar in rather capacious vessels that were fumigated with sulfur (the process lasted up to six months, and sometimes more). Sweet wines were obtained by suppressing fermentation, then storing them in the cold. Often the wine was insisted on raisins. These drinks fermented very slowly, only five years later the wines were poured into amphoras, supplied with labels: they indicated the area of production, the years of harvest, the presence of additives, and color. The best sorts of wine have been aged for the longest time. 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. In the mythology of antiquity, one of the names of the 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) were dedicated to Bacchus (Bacchus). And the duties of this god on earth were performed by toastmasters and butlers.

Greek legend

Since ancient times, 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 lost sheep. Subsequently, he managed to see that she ate 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 grapes. And he noticed that over time the drink became even more fragrant: this is how wine turned out. The history of its manufacture in general, it should be noted, is very diverse.

Additional ingredients

According to the technology of the ancient Greeks, it was added: s alt and ash, gypsum and white clay, olive oil and pine nuts, crushed almonds and dill seeds, mint and thyme, cinnamon and honey. The ingredients that were used in the ancient Greek version are now time-tested: 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 content of alcohol, sugar content, 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 the desire to reduce its intoxicating effect, but also because of too much concentration of such a drink as wine, the history of which goes back to ancient times.

Skorus Cellars and rituals

These were the most famous cellars of ancient times. More than 300,000 amphoras were kept here, which were filled with the famous wines of that time, and there were about 200 types of them. The ancient Greeks, like the Romans, always preferred dark red wine. It was usually served twice a day (at least): for dinner and for breakfast. Drinking this drink was accompanied by rituals. At first, everyone drank wine without diluting it, in honor of the god Dionysus, and then they spilled a few drops on the ground, as a signconsecrating a drink to a beloved deity. Then craters were served - bowls of not too large sizes, with two handles. In this dish, wine and cold water from a spring were mixed (in various proportions). Drinking was accompanied by a conversation, and the guests listened to music with poems, enjoying the performance of the dancers. According to the then existing rules, it was necessary to drink for the he alth of all those present, give thanks to the deities (other than Dionysus), and commemorate those absent at the feast. Sometimes there were even competitions: who will drink more. They drank a red intoxicating liquid, mainly representatives of the stronger sex. And women were rarely allowed to eat at all.

Roman history

The history of wine continued successfully 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 widely spread in all provinces of the empire. During this period, Chios wines (from the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea) and Falerno wines from Italy (Falerno) were most valued.

Roman craftsmen significantly improved the technological process of distilleries, developed a technique for aging / fermenting wine in sunlight, and there was a longer exposure of products in amphora dishes. For example, in the writings of Horace there are even references to a 60-year-old drink, in the testimonies of Pliny the Elder they speak of a 2-century-old wine. It is easy to believe, as the currentstrong wines (sherry, sauternes) can only improve when aged for 100 years. Roman citizens consumed flavored wines and also used them in cooking.

Ancient wine exports

In the ancient Roman era, the trade in intoxicating drinks was the privilege of Italy. This was the case until Probus allowed unlimited supplies of wine and vine cultivation. Export Italian has 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 were the vine-growers who knew how to make intoxicating drinks, and they were quoted much better than slaves of another profession.

Wine (winemaking, as already mentioned, reached a significant scale 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 a cheap and light drink (made from pomace) daily. Drinking at the masters was accompanied by certain rituals, which were similar to ancient Greek. But in Rome, only men over the age of 30 were allowed to drink wine.

Gallia and others

For the first time, vineyards outside of Italy began to appear in Gaul (6-7 century BC), but, according to researchers, the vine was first bred there exclusively for food. But soon in Gaul (1st century), the drink gains quite a wide popularity: it begins to be produced in large quantities. Developedwinemaking and not only among the Gauls. Along with varieties imported from Rome, many European regions also cultivated wild grapes. For example, in the valleys of the Danube and the Rhine, Rhone and other places. In the 5th century, the intricacies of production, in one way or another, were learned 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 conventionally drawn from the mouth of the Loire (France) to the North Caucasus and the territories of modern Crimea. All the less numerous viticultural regions to the north are added to this zone by centuries of painstaking selection work. It should be noted that on the territory of the Crimean peninsula, even in antiquity, the colonists from Greece grew the vine, but its cultures were later almost completely destroyed by the Muslims.

Persian history

The Persians also have their own legend of the origin of wine. One day, King Jamshid, having rested under the shade of a tent, watching the training of his archers, was distracted by the situation unfolding at a distance. A rather 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 strike down the snake, hitting the 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. From them branched bushes turned out, which give a lot of fruits and berries. Jamshid really liked the juice from these berries, but when one time they brought him a little fermented juice, he became angry and ordered to hide the drink. Time passed and onethe beautiful concubine of the king began to suffer severe headaches, and such that she wished to die. She found a discarded container of fermented juice and drank it all down. Immediately the slave fell unconscious, but did not die, but fell asleep. And when she woke up, the slave became again pretty, he althy, cheerful in spirit. Jamshid also found out about this news of healing. And then he decided to proclaim this sour juice from delicious fruits as medicine.

Dark Medieval

In those ancient times, several factors contributed to the spread of wine: the strengthening of the position of Christianity and the active development of navigation.

Moreover, the clergy not only strongly encouraged the use of wine for the purposes of rituals, but also developed technologies, contributing to its mass production and drinking. And today, varieties traditionally produced in monasteries are highly valued.

And thanks to the development of navigation, the countries where wine was produced could establish appropriate trade relations with nearby neighbors and with other continents. A common misconception is that the wines came to the Chinese and Japanese on these ships, but in fact, these drinks existed there before, they just often turned out to be banned 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 of tea, and it was wine that was served with every meal. The world has already been conquered by him.

The Role of Christianity

In the development of winemaking a hugethe role was played by the establishment in Europe of the Christian church, which encouraged the production of wine. In the Middle Ages, viticulture was actively supported by many monastic orders. Every monk was supposed to have 300 grams of drink per day, but even with an increase in this norm, no one was punished. At first, barrels made of wood 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. Since that time, European technologies have begun to acquire a character close to modern production.

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 vine seedlings brought by merchants are planted. The grapes do well. 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 Yakov Botman was invited to Astrakhan from abroad. He taught the local viticulturists the intricacies of the art of growing a bunch of grapes and along the way improved irrigation systems: instead of chigirs, they used irrigation with windmills. From year to year the production process improved, 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 in some regions of Russia distilleries appeared many centuries ago (the territory of Dagestan, the area of the lower reaches of the Don River), in Russia traditionally preferredmead, beer, mash. The industrial production of the drink began only under Peter the Great - the tsar respected foreign technologies, introducing them throughout the country. And I wished that such a drink as wine had its own manufacturer.

In Soviet times, the largest viticultural state farms were created in the territories of the RSFSR. And in 1928, the most popular brand of "Soviet Champagne" was invented, which was produced at the factories of Abrau-Durso (in 1936 - throughout the Soviet country).

History of Champagne

There were also incidents that became a highlight after. To find out the history of wines, for example, champagne wine, and in another way - light and sparkling, it is enough to “wind back” three and a half centuries. As the name implies, it appears in France, and Champagne, a French province, becomes the main region for the production of sparkling wine. Quite the exact date of the birth of bubble wine is traditionally considered to be 1668, when Godinot, canon abbot of Reims Cathedral, describes in a church book "a drink with a light color, almost white, saturated with gases." After a couple of decades, the country was already experiencing a real boom in sparkling. Champagne in France is becoming fashionable, which allows to improve production and improve technology.

And by the way, it is quite real that sparkling appeared by chance. Distillers of antiquity also knew the characteristics of some wines, that, after fermentation, fermentation begins again in spring, and gases form in containers. Such properties have traditionally been considered side effects.effect in winemaking, and did not attach much importance to this. On the contrary, they were even considered the result of not very high-quality work of distillers. But in the second half of the 17th century the situation changed. And wine produced in French abbeys has become quite popular. And talented and inventive winemakers, such as Dom Perignon and Udar, created and improved production technologies for sparkling wine.