Did the Minoans make wine?

Did the Minoans make wine?

The history of wine in Crete is as old as its culture. In Minoan Crete of the mid-second millennium BC, the wine was produced and stored in the palaces. Archaeological excavations brought to light numerous life-size pithos with traces of wine in them. Minoan wine was exported worldwide together with Cretan Olive Oil.

When did Greece start making wine?

6,500 years ago
Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world and among the first wine-producing territories in Europe. The earliest evidence of Greek wine has been dated to 6,500 years ago where wine was produced on a household or communal basis.

What happened Greek wine?

As a result, the Greek vines were degraded, many varieties were abandoned, and the highland quality vineyards were lost. In the international market, Greek wine was considered ‘Mediterranean’, in other words, with high alcohol content, no acidity and aroma.

Who introduced wine to Greece?

Dionysus
Legend says that Dionysus introduced the culture of wine to the Greeks in Sterea Ellada, in the southern region of Attica. Today, 65,000 acres of vines are planted to mainly white wines like Savatiano, Roditis and Athiri in Attica, also famous for its retsina (resinated dessert wine).

How alcoholic was ancient Greek wine?

Wine was almost always drunk diluted with water: the ratio varied, normally ranging between 2 : 3 and 1 : 3, which would give a range in alcoholic strength of about 3 to 6% and generally at the lower end of this range (roughly the same as British draught beer).

Did the Greeks drink water?

It’s true that ancient Greeks and Romans mixed water and wine—but technically they were putting wine into their water more than they were putting water into their wine. Back then, wine was seen as a way to purify and improve the taste of the (often stagnant) water source. How dilute was the water/wine combo?

What is the traditional wine of Greece?

Greece is also known for retsina, a traditional wine flavored with pine resin.

What is the oldest Greek wine?

Retsina
The oldest Greek wine (2,000 years old) served today is the famous white wine, Retsina. The very same wine that the ancient Greeks drank can be tasted today. To be honest, it kind of taste like a pine tree.

Did Romans water down their wine?

The Ancient Greeks and Romans likely watered down their wine, or more accurately added wine to their water, as a way of purifying (or hiding the foul taste) from their urban water sources.

What type of wine did Romans drink?

Both posca and lora were the most commonly available wine for the general Roman populace and probably would have been for the most part red wines, since white wine grapes would have been reserved for the upper class.

What did kids in ancient Greece drink?

What did they drink? The Greeks drank water and wine. Wine would be watered down so it wouldn’t be too strong. They sometimes drank a thick gruel called kykeon which included water, barley, and herbs.

What kind of wine did Romans drink?

Sweet white wines, often flavoured with herbs, were the main type of wine drunk by the ancient Romans. They also had red wines. Wines are discussed by Pliny, Virgil, Martial, and of course in large amounts of bureaucratic and domestic literature.

What is Cretan wine?

Cretan wine is wine from the Greek island of Crete. It has a long history since wine was certainly being made by the Minoans since the Bronze Age. Wines from Crete are not listed among those specially prized in classical Greece, but under the Roman Empire in the 2nd century AD Crete was known for a sweet wine, protropos,…

Is Crete Greece’s best wine region?

It is the second-largest wine-producing region in Greece. Yet it merits only a couple of paragraphs in the Oxford Companion to Wine and slight regard from wine connoisseurs. Crete is perhaps overshadowed by Santorini, a better-known wine island, 148 km to the North.

What is the history of winemaking in Greece?

Crete has a legendary place in winemaking history and it was probably the jumping off point for winemaking across Greece. The Minoan civilisation (2000-1400 BCE) imported Egyptian winemaking techniques in the neolithic period and palaces such as Knossos had their own vineyards.

It has a long history since wine was certainly being made by the Minoans since the Bronze Age. Wines from Crete are not listed among those specially prized in classical Greece, but under the Roman Empire in the 2nd century AD Crete was known for a sweet wine, protropos, which was exported to Italy.