THE GREEKS - PART 1: THE ART OF MAKING WINE IS BORN

The Hellenic peninsula -the "mother" of modern Western civilization- had the merit of spreading the culture of wine (the so-called "Dionysus' drink") to the rest of Europe.

In Greek society, being able to produce wine of high quality was a sign of culture and civilization: "The one who uses wine is civilized; the one who does not use wine, is a barbarian", the Greeks said. As a matter of fact, so-called "barbarians" prevalently drank beer (whose origins are not less ancient).

In ancient times, Greek wines, especially sweet ones, were famous everywhere, also within the Roman Empire, and the first Greek colonizers introduced grapes and the cult of wine into the territories they occupied.  Since the beginning of the formation and development of the Hellenic culture, this drink had had a fundamental role. It was right in ancient Greece that wine became a value which then spreaded to the rest of the Mediterranean basin. Today it is common knowledge the fact that Greek populations (about 1000 years before Christ) introduced vines in Northern Africa, Andalusia, Provence, Southern Italy and Sicily. It's not a coincidence the fact that in the 5th century BC Sophocles called Italy "Bacchus' darling country", while other writers gave the name "Enotria" ("the vine stakes country") to the lands inhabited by the Illyrian populations which had settled along Calabria, Lucania and Campania shores. In fact, they used to grow grapes tied together in the form of little pyramids.

Since the beginning, the Greeks had developed efficacious viticulture techniques, favouring grape growing and wine production, and very soon these became part of cultures and rites of all the other Mediterranean peoples. Anyway, it is very likely that the wine ancient Greeks drank was not only produced inside their country. Some archaeological finds -especially ancient vases found in Mycenae which did not belong to Greek art and handicraft- suggest that already at that time wine was imported from other places. During the Classical period, vine was diffused in the whole country, and the Greeks also introduced their varieties into colonized countries, especially Italy, where still today people grow grapes of probable Greek origins.

Wine trade was also very important for Greece. Many archaeological finds discovered in Mediterranean countries -but also in the Middle East- testify the fact that wine was an important product within Greek economy and was considered part of the most precious exchange goods.

The Greeks gave a fundamental contribution to viticulture and oenology: in ancient Greece there was a widespread production of texts with precise references on grape cultivation practices and oenological techniques. Also decorations present on the rich patrimony of ancient vases and cups represent -with their images- many harvest scenes and also the methods used for wine-making. The great number of literary quotations and artistic decorations is for sure a proof of the fact that wine was a kind of cultural element in the life and culture of ancient populations. There are many myths on the origin of grapes and wine, attributing them both harmful and beneficial characteristics. For this reason, almost all cities established strict laws in order to regulate its use. Pure wine was called "¥kratoj" (meaning "not mixed") and had a definitely negative character, that's why people who drank it were considered barbarians.

Besides, wine was also an essential element during one of the most important events of ancient Greece. The symposium (meaning "drinking together") usually took place in a single, small room, within a group of 7 to 11 people who used to lie down on sofas, sharing food and wine. These ceremonies also spreaded all over Italy and their popularity remained intact up to the end of the ancient period. Wine (which, as we already said, was mixed with water) was kept inside a common vase where dilution was physically performed, and which was located in the middle of the room. The delicate task of diluting wine was up to the "master of ceremony" who had to regulate the whole course of the rite, deciding when guests had to drink wine and in which quantities. The symposium was an event within Greek social life when people from different extractions met together for a moment of common life, in order to exchange ideas and opinions about various subjects. It was also a place where people wanted to ponder over and try to better understand Greek social practices, to develop common poetic and visual memories, mixing together discussions, food and wine.

Wine has always been considered as a "truth detector" and, in this capacity, it was also used as a pedagogical tool: according to Plato, it was a kind of "experiment" through which people could really understand each other, so improving their personal nature. The saying "in vino veritas" (meaning "in wine there is truth") was attributed to the Greek poet Alcaeus and it refers to this particular characteristic of wine, its liberating strength which frees men from their inhibitions and leads them to saying pure truth, without hidding behind fake hypocrisies.

Wine produced in ancient Greece was quite different from the wine we drink and appreciate nowadays. Usually Greek wines were diversified according to their colours -as we still do today- and classified as white, black or red, and mahogany. It seems that Greeks put particular attention to wine flavours, which they defined as "floral". Anyway, in their literary production we find detailed descriptions of wines with explicit references to specific flowers, such as violet and rose. Wine taste (but it's better to say, the taste they preferred in wine) was very sweet and, for this purpose, they used raisins during wine-making process. "Passito" wine was very appreciated in ancient Greece and very often sweetness levels were raised through boiling it, in order to reduce the quantity of water. But at that time they didn't used only sweet wines. We know that they made wines also with unripe grapes and with very high acidity levels, as well as dry wines -both white and red- as a proof that Greek oenology was quite varied.

At that time, the main problem with wine was its low preservation capacity, due to the containers they used and -above all- the poor air resistance. Wines oxidized quite quickly and the Greeks were obliged to take the necessary measures to guarantee higher wine preserving levels. Adding galipot during wine fermentation was one of these remedies, and still today we can find it in one of the most famous Greek products, "Retzina".

(To be continued)

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