Are you a wine connoisseur?

[Ivi_Ge]

Hello @VBenedict,

Thank you for sharing some interesting facts about wine, like Latin said : " In vino veritas" (in wine there is truth). I don't know a lot about the wine history around the world, but I want to share some information about wine in Bulgaria. Wine has been made and consumed in Bulgaria since the age of the ancient Thracians thousands of years ago. Bulgaria’s territory is divided into five main regions, according to the different soil and climatic conditions in the country. Those regions are: Danube Plain (North Bulgarian), Black Sea (East Bulgarian), Rose Valley (Sub-Balkan), Thracian Lowland (South Bulgarian), and Struma River Valley (Southwest Bulgarian). Each region offers specific grape varieties and wines.

And if you want to read a bit more about Bulgarian wine, you can check this article - 7 unique Bulgarian wine varieties you must taste.

[VBenedict]

Outstanding 🎯 Thank you @Ivi_Ge Beautifully written and precisely the historic data I am hoping we compile for the benefit of everyone interested; not only in wines per se, but its impact on local and world socioeconomic platforms, as well as its influence on our cultures.

It is my pleasure to meet your cyber acquaintance and look forward to building alliance.

Best Regards, 

~ Virginia Benedict 🕊

Beauty&Lifestyles™ 

Google Maps Lists Curator

[SoniaK]

Hi @VBenedict, this is an interesting post. I didn't know the history of wine, until I read this.

I don't know much about wine. In fact I haven't tried wine much in my entire life until last year at the summit. Before that, I tried only a couple of times with my friends, and that too was just a glass each time. Sorry, can't share anything about it. But I am glad that I had a chance seeing the wine making process at Dogpatch Wineworks last year, which was a great experience for me. And also I learned a little about the pairing of food with wine after that from San Francisco Wine School. I never knew the pairing differences between white wine and red wine with vegetables and meat or fish. It was a great learning session.

[VBenedict]

@SoniaK  I am glad that you have had the opportunity to learn interesting facts about the role of Wine in the culinary world.

It is said that one glass of red wine with a meal a day keeps the doctors away.  More that that is a waste.

Thank you for sharing the Dogpatch link.

[SoniaK]

One glass of wine? Wasn't it an apple, @VBenedict? Lol.

My pleasure sharing the link. It is actually forbidden in my religion to have alcohol. That's the only reason I am away from this drink, otherwise I probably would have been an expert by now. 😛

[VBenedict]

Exactly! One glass of wine a day, normally with dinner.  There is a reason your religion forbids alchohol consumption, when you think about it.

This is why I emphasize the importance of one glass of wine.

Is it okay to ask what religion you practice?

I was born a Roman Catholic and intuitively celebrate everyone's religion because I understand the importance of diversity in both the Socio-Anthropological and the Physical-Anthropological contexts.

[ErmesT]

Yes, it was an apple, @SoniaK but I agree with @VBenedict.

A glass of red wine is suggested by doctors due to the content of polyphenols.

Polyphenols are natural compounds that helps to fight disease.

Several religions prohibited the use of alcoholic beverages. This have of course historical and climate reason, like for some kind of food. Moderation is in any case the rule that I like to follow, both for wine and for food.

[VBenedict]

@ErmesT  thank you for the info on "Polyphenols are natural compounds that helps to fight disease."

If you wish to learn more about the health benefits and risks of Polyphenols you can start here.

Just remember that a balanced diet is a healthy diet.  Too much wine, too much alchohol, too much of anything always produces negative effects.

Back to the history of wines... you might wish to read, as I am discovering from @Ivi_Ge 's comment above, about Bulgarian wines and how dating back to 400 BC the ancient Thracians tribes worshipped wine as divine. 

[ErmesT]

Thank you @VBenedict for your feedback about polyphenols. I agree with you about a correct diet, avoiding every kind of abuse.

Back to the main topic, I am amazed about the Bulgarian wine shared by @Ivi_Ge. I never tested it, and I want to do it.

It seems that I never responded to your previous question:

"Let us discuss the used of cement and stainless steel in the wine making industry.

 Was this an industrywide move in Italy alone? Or was this worldwide adaptation?

 What prompted this break from a proven millions of year old tradition?"

On the late '70s, the Italian wine production was moving to the direction of a mass production. In that case the stainless steel is the best material, for a low quality product, that need to ramain stable and constant.

For quality production, stainless steel is not a good material, because it blocks the transpiration / oxidation of the wine, that is the most important step for the maturation. Also, Stainless steel is a good temperature conductor. For a good aging, the temperature mast be kept as constant as possible.

Both, concrete and wooden barrel are better than stainless steel.

On the new century, quality production is becoming prevalent again. So, the production is moving back to concrete and wood, while stainless steel are used for fermentation only.

Aging the wine, as we said, need oxigen, that is slowly passing through wood and concrete.

As far as I know, US wine industry in California is mostly using concrete, while the Italian industry is moving back to wooden barrels, due to the extra taste that the wood can give to the wine. Also, different kind of wood, can give different aging results, with (my own opinion) a better result in term of taste.

Here some traditional machine for grapes pressing

Wooden barrels in a modern farm

Ermes

[SoniaK]

Hi @VBenedict i am a Muslim. You are right. There must be a reason why things are forbidden in some religions. And on top of everything, too much consumption of anything is bad for us. 🙂