Introduction to the history of wine.

: November 23 2021

The cultivation of the vine: a millenary human effort.

A series of circumstances linked to the earth and climate unfolded in an infinite series of combinations: a biological factor, the grape variety, which fits into this context and opens the doors to other infinite series of combinations.

By adding factors such as altitude and latitude to the picture, you get the immense puzzle of vineyards that cover certain areas of the earth. Territories with a viticultural and therefore enological vocation are the tesserae of this mosaic. The wines that derive from these tesserae are also characterized by an infinite accumulation of traditional knowledge whose skeleton, formed over the millennia, was slowly rediscovered and enhanced in the second half of the twentieth century, as the historical knowledge of each locality has been selected over time grapes varieties and vine cultivation methods linked to climatic and geological characteristics which today have reached undisputed qualitative heights of the wines in many areas. In the context of the tesserae of this mosaic, the French were the first to define the concept of Cru. This term Cru identifies particular vineyards with characteristics (the set of factors described above) that differentiate them from the surrounding vineyards. The grapes of these selected vineyards show the unrepeatable characteristics of the environment from which their unique wines come. The knowledge that has led humanity to the current techniques of vine cultivation represents a millenary effort destined to the joy of tasting wine, the favorite drink of civilization, capable of giving the intoxication that approaches the gods, therefore wine is welcomed in the mythology before then in the Bible and always present in literature.

The ancient traditions that link the rural world to the moon are the most fascinating discovery of ancient peasant customs. Scrutinizing the moon in the passing of the phases once meant respecting the cosmic breath. These customs - which as a whole dictate the calendar of agricultural works, the so-called lunario (agenda of the lunar phases) - survived over the centuries and the landing of man on the moon, still represent the most natural compendium for planting, breeding, and growing the vines and all the plants until the desired harvest time. The lunar phases dictate the grapes' harvesting time as well as the harvesting time for hay and cereals, the lunar agenda establishes the time for cutting the wood, and it is coordinated with sowing and harvests and decrees the time for the plowing up of the vine too.

Source:

Alfredo Zavanone, "Scrutando la luna"