| The pleasure people get from wine is an ageless | | | | moved from the Greek to the Romans. When |
| joy that has been enjoyed for centuries. Whether | | | | the Roman Empire expanded, viticulture expanded |
| you have enjoyed with your meals, alone with | | | | as well, vineyards were planted in many different |
| that special someone, in social situations, a great | | | | areas all over Europe, in places that would later |
| wine is remembered by the drinkers even after | | | | become France, Germany, Italy and England. The |
| the bottle is gone. The romance that we have | | | | many vineyards under the Roman rule are still |
| with wine has been apart of our existence since | | | | producing grapes for wine today. |
| the dawn of time. Our history of winemaking | | | | Around 476 AD, the Romans fell at the feet of |
| shows that wine has been around from at least | | | | the German invaders. Europe settles a setback in |
| 8000 years and archeologists have found | | | | political and scientific areas, with the institutions of |
| evidence that man has been making mead (a | | | | learning stopping for a while. Viticulture survived |
| honey based wine) around 10,000 years ago. | | | | the ravages of this problem because the Christian |
| When you are learning How to Make Homemade | | | | Religion picked up the making of wine, these early |
| Wine you need to know that throughout history | | | | monks helped to preserve the method of wine |
| wine has been an important part of life for many | | | | making and even took over the vineyard that |
| peoples. | | | | were necessary to practice them. The monks |
| The truest form of wine is those made from the | | | | taught each other how to make homemade wine |
| fruit called grapes, its juice is fermented and | | | | for sacraments and other religious reasons. |
| bottled with great care. In the world there are | | | | The renaissance in Europe along with the many |
| many types of grapes, however by far the | | | | travels of Columbus brought a revival of trade, |
| highest quality wines are made from the European | | | | science and as well as many other areas. The |
| wine grape Vitis Vinifera. It has the delicate | | | | Europeans expanded to the New World, they |
| balance of flavors, sugar, aromas and other great | | | | took along wine making and by the 1500’s |
| qualities needed for a good wine are available in | | | | viticulture was introduced to the South Americans |
| this type of grape. The grape is thought to have | | | | in Chile and in the 1800’s Spanish missionaries |
| been found in the Caucasus region of Europe. The | | | | were growing grapes in California. |
| area is surrounded by the Black Sea, the Caspian | | | | In North America, Leif Eriksson, stumbled upon |
| Sea, and the Caucasus Mountains and is located in | | | | the abundance of grape vines growing, on his |
| the modern nations of Georgia and the southern | | | | voyage in 1000 AD, he called the area he found |
| part of Russia. Vitis Vinifera has been cross bred | | | | Vineland. Even though there were many grapes, |
| with many hundreds of grape varieties, each | | | | they were not suitable for wine making. The |
| suited to the geography of it location and | | | | species of grapes was called Vitis Lambusca, |
| produced to have its own distinct types of wine. | | | | which thrives in New England all the way to |
| The art of viticulture (growing grapes) and the art | | | | Indiana and all the way down to Georgia. Good |
| of viniculture (growing grapes for wine) are many | | | | wine from these native grapes was almost |
| thousands of years old. In Mesopotamia, now | | | | impossible to make. The European wine would not |
| modern day Iraq, which sits between the Tigris | | | | grow on the soil and in the climate of North |
| River and the Euphrates River were the very | | | | America, The viticulturalists from France went to |
| first civilizations in history to cultivate grapes and | | | | Delaware to try and turn the Vitis Lambusca wine |
| where viniculture was fist practiced, some | | | | into good wine, they were unsuccessful. |
| thousands of years ago, In the Code of | | | | A gentleman named John James Dufour was the |
| Hammurabi, is the earth’s first written law | | | | one to have the first success in viticulture with |
| that contains the laws governing how wine should | | | | these grapes in the 1800s. From the work that |
| be made and sold over 4000 years ago. | | | | Dufour did, others took up his work and started |
| We may never find out how the men learned | | | | the process of crossbreeding, nourishing and |
| how to make wine from grapes. The ancient | | | | cultivating until they had the very first good |
| Greeks have stories that tell us that Dionysus, | | | | grapes. From these efforts many different types |
| the Greek God of wine and vegetation taught the | | | | of grapes emerged, places like Concord, Niagara, |
| ancient Greeks how to grow grapes and what | | | | and Delaware were getting the American East |
| process was needed to make wine. The Greeks | | | | their start in the wine industry. Ohio, New York |
| became the first people in recorded history to | | | | and New Jersey developed even more important |
| plant vineyards for commercial use and to market | | | | wine producing regions. About this time wines |
| those grapes to people of other countries over | | | | from California appeared, it was discovered that |
| 3500 years ago. | | | | the European grapes could grow in these areas, |
| Wine was a very popular drink for the ancient | | | | because of the climate and the type of soil found |
| civilizations and was also held to be sacred as well. | | | | there. |
| Wine was a part of many religious rituals and | | | | Then the bottom fell out of the European wine |
| celebrations. The Greeks with their love of sea | | | | industry, with the introduction of the eastern |
| travel spread the news about growing grapes | | | | American root louse, phylloxera, to the vineyards |
| throughout the Mediterranean basin. They taught | | | | of Europe. The insect destroyed most of the |
| many other peoples the art of making wine, and | | | | European varieties in Europe, Australia and even in |
| how to grow grapes which is evident in the | | | | California. Almost all of the worlds stock of the |
| planted vineyards that showed up in lands from | | | | Vitis vinifera was destroyed. However there were |
| the Black Sea in the East to the East side of | | | | some American varieties that were unaffected |
| Spain in the west. | | | | by the parasite, and the European grape was |
| Wine drinkers of today would have been | | | | saved by grafting the European variety of grapes |
| disappointed in the Greek wine of yesterday. The | | | | with the American rootstocks. The European |
| wine was stored in such a way that the flavor | | | | vineyards recovered from the disaster and were |
| tasted more like turpentine than the wine of | | | | on the comeback all in the middle of the 19th |
| today, this is due in part to the fact that the | | | | century. |
| storage vessel were lined with a resin substance | | | | Today wine is produced everywhere and is drunk |
| that mixed into the wine to give it this awful | | | | by millions of people In North America the grapes |
| taste. In addition to that, they flavor the wine | | | | are hybridized by crossing them with European |
| with many different spices, herbs, flowers and | | | | and American varieties have completely changed |
| even some perfumes; they also cut the wine with | | | | how wine tastes and is produce throughout |
| water before drinking it. | | | | Eastern United States. This study of the history |
| Then the Romans came along and borrowed | | | | of wine is great for learning what made the wine |
| some of the Greek culture for growing grapes | | | | that you drink or make tastes so good. |
| when they conquered this civilization. Viticulture | | | | |