Even if you are not a wine enthusiast, you will certainly find some of the fact of the history of wine pretty peculiar. This article will provide you with some curious information about this fruit which you might have never heard before. Of course, in case you are actually a fan of this beverage, reading this article is an absolute mush for you!
Quench your thirst with wine
It does not come as a surprise that the quality of water centuries ago was not high. Of course, people of the Medieval times did not throw chemical garbage into rivers which is unfortunately done in the modern world. Still, everyone knows the water during that period of time was particularly contaminated with organic material which was rather dangerous to the human’s health. A whole variety of pathogenic bacteria resided in such water causing entire epidemics among people.
One of the ways to protect themselves from devastating diseases was having fermented drinks instead of pure water. Actually, the fermentation process is quite potent for destroying such pathogenic organisms as cholera and salmonella also known as typhi.
Undeniably, one of the most popular drinks saving people from malaises was wine and it was given to children as well. You can also come across the information about some the European countries where people also prepared some initial forms of what we know today as beer.
Still, you should pay your attention to the fact, these beverages were not so potent as the ones we know today.
Women and wine
One of the curious historical facts about wine is that in some cultures which are particularly known for their long tradition of wine production, drinking it was forbidden. A great illustration of such a case is ancient Greece which even had its own god of wine known as Dionysus.
The curious fact about the culture of that civilisation was the fact while drinking wine was pretty popular, it was absolutely forbidden for women. Furthermore, the punishment for breaking this law was rather severe and the women who enjoyed the drink could even be killed by their own husbands if the latter found them indulging themselves with this beverage.
Drinking to one’s health
Another curious fact about wine also comes from ancient Greece. As it has already been mentioned, the culture of wine drinking in this country was pretty developed, hence there were various traditions related to it. One of them was the ritual of the very first sip of wine made by the host of the party. This was done in order to show the guests the wine was not poisoned and everyone could have it safely. This special act certainly lead to a popular phrase “to drink to one’s health”. Now you know, it does not mean to drink in order to become healthy. It is more that one will not lose one’s health after enjoy a glass of wine.
The toasting custom
One of the most common customs related to drinking wine and all of the alcohol beverages is certainly toasting. Interestingly, the origin of this curious ritual was in ancient Rome and initially, toasting was made while drinking wine.
The peculiar fact of toasting is that it literally was about a toast or a toasted bread. There was a custom in that country to drop a small piece of bread which had been toasted prior to that into wine. The purpose of doing it was softening of possible bitter tastes in wine.
Wine bottles
One more important historical fact about wine is related to the bottles used for their storage. You might even not be aware of the fact the fact people used to have an absolutely different way of storing wine in the Middle age. You might imagine people using some special bottles which might be made of some other materials than glass to which we are accustomed today, yet, this was not the case. Actually, the common way of storing wine was inside a bag and such a special bag was made of goat skin.
Only in the 17th century Sir Kenelm Digby invented a particular type of bottles made of green glass which are widely used for storing wine today.
One more curious fact about wine bottles is a special horizontal position in which cork-capped bottles are held. This is crucial for preventing the bottle corks from drying out and dwindling. This also protects the wine from getting air.
Finally, if you are wondering about the wooden barrels used for storing wine, you might be interested in learning the fact the oak which is a preferable wood for wine barrels is actually available in the variety of four hundred specious which can be used for wine storage.