Wine has a long and venerable history, with references to its use cropping up in ancient texts from thousands of years ago - not least, of course, in the Bible. We know for a fact that it was firmly established in the Middle Eastern culture of around two thousand years ago, and for it to be so commonplace at that time it must have been around for quite some time before that.
Viticulture was certainly a large part of the economy of the Roman Empire, and the spread of Roman civilisation included the spread of wine growing and wine drinking as the colonising soldiers moved across the Old World. In ancient Rome, a common form of wine was known as mulsum, heavily sweetened with honey, and produced on large agrarian estates largely by the slave population. What remained in the wine press after crushing the grapes - seeds and skins mainly - was often fed to livestock, or alternatively brewed into a very low quality 'wine' and given to the slaves who'd grown the grapes.
We also know that winemaking was familiar to the ancient Greeks, from whom the Romans learned so much, and there's physical evidence of this in the form of a stone wine press found in a Minoan villa on the island of Crete, dating back to around 1600 BC. The winemaking facilities discovered there appeared to be quite advanced and sophisticated, suggesting that the Minoans had been practising the art of winemaking for a considerable period before that date.
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Applesauce wine
By: johnb | 06-05-2008
I want to make win using applesauce, I'm looking for a recipe
Can a red wine bottle be left in room temprature ...
By: amitre | 11-04-2008
can a red wine bottle be left in room temprature (not in the refrigirator) after it was opened? For how long?
Request for wine recommendations
By: kparker149 | 03-04-2008
Help!!! I am planning an Italian wine dinner for a group of friends. I have come up with a menu that I can handle without giving myself a nervous breakdown. If only the wine selections were so easy! I have sought help at several local wine stores and of course I have received greatly varying recommendations. One consistent suggestion was to serve a prosecco - three different people suggested serving it with the cheese course while two people suggested serving with the crostini. Only one person suggested an amarone with the sliced grilled steak; while several other people really discouraged it. The person who suggested serving the amarone also suggested serving a barbera with the cheese course (far different from the prosecco idea!). I would really appreciate any assistance! At this point my head is spinning and I have not even narrowed down the types/regions of the wines (other than Italian). Please see my purposed menu below (I am also open to changes in the menu if you think something is problematic). Thank you in advance for any guidance anyone can provide.Kathleen Parker, Houston, Texas kparker149@comcast.net Antipasti: Chicken liver crostini, Olive tapanade crostini, Tomato, caper, and garlic crostiniPrimo: Penne with green beans and pestoSecondo: sliced grilled steak with arugula, shaved parmigiano, and truffle oilFormaggi: Gorgonzola Dolce Creamy young cows milk cheese from Lombardy, Piave cows milk cheese from Veneto (similar to parmigiano but sweeter), Pecorino Toscana young sheeps milk cheese from Tuscany; cheeses to be served with honey and fresh fruitDolce: Biscotti and Vin Santo
Hello - I acquired a dozen + bottles of wine from ...
By: dancywalden | 26-03-2008
Hello - I acquired a dozen + bottles of wine from an estate sale. They date from the 60's and 70's, are from Italy, Spain, and France, were stored in the owner's basement, and all seals are intact (except that some seals do have mildew stains). We opened up two bottles of Papillon red assuming these were of lesser quality and found they were bad. Bad, in that the color was muddy, taste was, well, yucky. So, our question is: what should we do with the rest of them? A bit of research showed us that some of the bottles are of finer vintages. Could they be ok? Can wines last this long? Would they be of any value? I can provide the names/years & photos if needed. Thanks for your help!
Blends a 'nono'?
By: redgrapeswrath | 24-03-2008
are blends a 'nono' for the true wine connoisseur (that obviously not being me?) someone told me that but I don't believe em.
What is a carbonnieux?
By: dirkdigler | 22-03-2008
what is a carbonnieux?
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