Sunday, October 15, 2006

Who's on First.......


Definitely not China. The Chinese are using recently discovered archaeological findings to claim they were the first country to produce wines. This claim was based upon finding a 9000 year old wine made from rice, honey and fruit.
Now I don't know anything about archaeology but I do know that rice makes sake and honey makes meade.
Looking at various sources including Wikepedia, wine is the " alcoholic fermented juice of fresh grapes used as a beverage" Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Or the Biology-Online definition of wine, again grapes and fruit are mentioned but not rice or honey. So who was first?
There is evidence that the first wines were made in Georgia. Other claims indicate Iran was the origin of wine.
If a tree falls in the forrest, does anybody hear? Or for that matter does anybody care?
I am making another claim. The ancient Roman earthen vessel pictured here (and feel free to click on the picture to see the finer details) was uncovered in a vineyard in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. This proves that before the Romans planted vineyards in France and the rest of the Roman Empire, they took a detour and made wine in Canada. Well OK, I was just having some fun with my camera in my backyard. Just goes to show you, you can't believe everything you read and here is an example.


In this news release "Israel's Galilee offers world's first pomegranate wine". So in 2003 they made their first Pomegranate wine.
Funny thing is that last year, I tasted the 2001 Pomegranate Wine made by Paradis an Armenian winery. When you visit this site click on products, then click fine wine & spirits and scroll down to the bottom (or click on the picture on the left) and you will find the description of this wonderful and lush dessert wine. Paradis has been making it since the year 2000.
Amazing, claims and counter claims. I am now going to enjoy a glass or two of a 2003 Cusumano Nero D'Avola from Sicily. What a great wine! They have been making wine on this island for a long time and are not too concerned with who made the first wine, just how to enjoy it on a daily basis. Ciao!!

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