The Wines and Vines of Europe [antikvár]

SThe \^msáTHE HISTORY OF WINEhe knowledge of wine-making is so ancient that it is almost impossible to trace it back to its origins. We do know that wine was being produced in Egypt around 2400 b.c. and also in China at about the same time. In addition, there are many references to wine in the Old Testament. As civilization spread from the Far and Near East to the shores of the Mediterranean, wine-growing also spread and reached its first great heights in Greece along with its glorious civilization. From Greece the knowledge of wines spread to Rome, where Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, became the Roman god Bacchus.It was the Romans who spread their knowledge of viticulture and vinification throughout all western Europe during the era of the Roman Empire. However, while the Romans were the first to spread wine-growing throughout that area, the Church's influence was the most important in the development of wine-making and in improving the quality of wine. The Church's interest stemmed from its requirement for sacramental wine, and since it was concerned with high quality, the wine-making methods of the Church continually raised the standards of all wine-making.Much evidence of the magnitude of the Church's