When I write this blog entry, I afraid of who read it will misunderstand, will think that I am a Drinker, a "fan" of red wine. No, I just write what I know about Grapes Wine - the exciting drink which I just tasted.
According to legend, a king in Persia left a bunch of grapes in a porcelain jar. On the label, he wrote " danger: toxic". Because he had many imperial conbubines, he appeared to fall out of love with his first wife. It was believed that she was abandoned. She decided to kill herself by drinking water from the jar. However, she didnot die, but instead felt pleasant and optimistic. When she discovered the water was "precious wine", she changed her decision to commit suicide.... !!!
I've read in a book, wine has developed for a long time and become a popular beverage with the Western World. Wine is distilled from fermented fresh grapes or a mixture of grape juice and dregs. The French Gastronomy Acedemy describes wine as "an active liquid, which can cure illness, age and death" !!!! I will cover stories of grape origin and wine. I hope this provindes you with more information about wine (if you are also a wine's fan !!!)
Grapevines are among the oldest trees in the world. Vestiges of grape trees have been found all over the world, even from before the ruin of old civilisations. Originally, the grape tree was a wild species. Most scientists say that grapes originated in the Crimean Peninsula; however, it is not known if the people in this peninsula made wine.
Wine exicted solely in Egypt until 2000 B.C. After the year 2000 B.C, the Egyptians taught the Greeks to grow grapes. Then, Roman people were taught this method before spreading it to Gaulois people. In 4th century B.C, vine trees appreared in the Mediterranean, particularly in Fance. It was in France that they began the practice of keeping wine in wooden vessels.
Until the Middle Ages, churches played an important role in growing grapes and making wine. The world "wine" was repeated 500 times in the Bible. Priests grew grapes around churches and religious houses.
In 1864, pestilent insects started to destroy grape roots in the central region of France. In twenty years, they destroyed the entire vine - growing region in France. After that, French people imported the "Vitis Labrusac" grape from America to restore their crops.
Surprisingly, the wine growing industry developed again after the American sample was combined with the French.
Currently in France, there are eight million hectares of vineyards and six thousand types of grapes. This makes it the largest grape growing region in the world, with the biggest variety of flavour and colour.
The National Accession Academy of Wine (INAQ) was founded in 1935. People from many parts of the world still consider INAQ as the organization that ensures the quality of French wine because of its strict regulations.
In the early twentieth century, in Western countries, wine was not only a beverage but also a cultural topic like literature, music and art. !!!
Around the world, now I back to Vietnam. Twenty years ago in Vietnam (at that time I was just a little girl, 5 years old !!!), topics such as history and appreciation of wine could hardly be found amongst bookstore shelves. Today they sell very well. Like other cultures, the culture of wine is gradually intergrating into Vietnamese people's lives.
