In vino veritas… (from Latin – Truth in wine). This is perhaps one of the most famous sayings about one of the most ancient drinks in our world – Wine. Turning to historical sources, we can find references to this noble drink in many cultures. Almost every ancient religion had its own god of wine. In Rome – Bacchus, in Ancient Greece – Dionysus, in Gaul – Sucellus, in Ireland – Cluerikon. At the moment it is not known who exactly discovered wine to humanity, but many nationalities, namely the Greeks, Germans, French, Spaniards, Egyptians, consider it necessary to call themselves pioneers in winemaking. To date, the oldest sample of primitive wine was found in the territory of modern Iran, in the area of Haji Firuz Tepe, which was inhabited 7000 years ago. The find was a jug with liquid, which contained residues of substances indicating an affinity for wine.
However, the classical culture of winemaking appeared in the Mediterranean, namely on the island of Crete and the islands of the Aegean Sea. Winemaking reached its peak with the help of the Greeks and Romans. Greek wine spread to different cities and countries, and its intoxicating properties and original taste were famous everywhere. But this was an unusual wine for us, because it was evaporated over a fire to the thickness of syrup, diluted with sea water and spices were added.
In Rome, Albanian wine was hung in large amphorae in the corner of fireplaces, where it evaporated to dryness. Then the mass was diluted with water, after which it was filtered. The wine was diluted with three, five or another odd number of parts of water. Pure wine was used very rarely. Forcing people to drink undiluted wine could often be taken as an insult. In addition to war, the Romans brought the culture of winemaking to Europe. The Gauls, Germans, future Spaniards and others began to make a noble drink.
In Ancient Rus, wine was only imported. Only noble and rich people drank it. For ordinary Rus' there was beer, honey and mash. Mentions of the names of European wines (Romanea, Cyprus, Muscat, Church) on the territory of Rus' appeared after its baptism by Prince Vladimir.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, wine production declined for 1500 years. In the Middle Ages, this drink was consumed in the South of Europe, where grapes grew. In the North and East, there were very few vines, so the main drinks were beer and ale. A small amount of wine was exported from the South, but because of its price, the drink was available to few.
Because wine was essential for Catholic masses, small supplies were provided by various Catholic orders. For example, the Benedictine monks were the largest wine producers in France and Germany. They owned the vineyards of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne. Thanks to the Roman Catholic Church, winemaking was preserved in the Middle Ages and revived again in the 15th century.
It is important to note that 1435 was a significant year for world winemaking: it was then that Johann IV Katzenelnbogen first planted Riesling, Germany’s most important grape. The monks who were involved in winemaking in the neighborhood quickly set the process on track, producing enough wine to supply the whole of Europe, but for secular purposes. Around the same time, the world’s first wine classification system was created in Portugal.
In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors who reached what is now Mexico and South America planted vineyards to produce wine for use in Holy Communion. Over time, Mexico became the leading wine producer in the New World. The scale of Mexican production threatened the commercial production of Spanish wine, and as a result, the Spanish king ordered the cessation of wine production in Mexico.
Around the same time, vineyards were planted in Japan, and in the mid-17th century, Dutch settlers planted grapes and began producing wine in South Africa.
The latest technologies and scientific discoveries of the 18th century made it possible to restore, improve the winemaking process and spread the accumulated knowledge around the world. But the stable development of winemaking was stopped by a terrible catastrophe - phylloxera. A small variety of thrips - grape phylloxera - came to Europe, most likely, from North America. The insect very quickly ate the roots of grapes, which led to the complete death of the vine. The European phylloxera epidemic destroyed enormous numbers of vineyards. For example, winemaking in France, in 15 years, decreased by 4 times! However, the grape disaster forced to look for new solutions - winemakers began to graft American grape varieties onto the surviving grape bushes. As a result, Europe received new grape varieties that were resistant to phylloxera and, at the same time, gave an excellent harvest for the production of a noble drink.
The history of Ukrainian winemaking has deep roots. Its starting point was wine production in the Crimea, from where it spread to Ukraine, Russia and Moldova. Ukraine's accession to the Russian Empire gave a new impetus to the development of domestic winemaking. Investments in profitable sectors of agriculture, including viticulture and winemaking, allowed a significant increase in the production of grapes and wine. At the beginning of the 20th century, the area of vineyards in Southern Ukraine was approximately 50 thousand hectares, and by 1940 it had increased to 100 thousand hectares. The further development of the industry was hindered by World War II and the mass destruction of vineyards during the "perestroika" period. Winemaking in modern Ukraine resumed only in the early 2000s, and today Ukraine is among the top 20 leading countries in the production of wine products.
The Ukrainian wine market is in constant development. Although it is divided between the largest players, such as "Koblevo", "Shabo", "Odesavinprom" and others, this creates conditions for the production of new competitive wines in small family wineries. One of which is "Rodynnya Vinorobnya Zelenitsa". The production of a noble drink, originally from Podolskie Tovtry, is taking confident steps to conquer its audience.