The wine was made in different ways than we know today. The harvest was a multi-day celebratory process and was accompanied by music. Initially, the grapes were left in the sun to dehydrate. Then followed the pressing which was done with dance movements to the sound of music. The must was put into large jars that were placed in cool and shady places where it boiled for 5 days. After collecting the sweet liquid from the foam, they stored the must in jars that were placed in the ground. They covered them and opened them after winter had set in, while some even waited for spring to ripen the wine better.

Each location had its traditional way of making wine, but almost all of them added salt water or even seawater to the must because they believed that this way the wine would not cause intoxication and would be easy to digest. With the first glasses of the new wine, they made libations to the god Dionysus. It seems that our ancestors had discovered the aging processes of wine and believed that the older the wine the more digestible and lighter it was.

wine barrels

Main Types of Wine in Ancient Greece

Four main types of wine were known in ancient Greece according to color. Red, white, yellow, and black. White was light, yellow had a sour taste, while red and black were sweet and therefore more popular.

Wine Regions in Ancient Greece

Regions of Greece that were known for the quality of their wines were Chios, Lesvos, Pallini, Ikaria, and Corinth.

The first version of PDO

The production of wine was a dear occupation for our ancestors and was so great that the good qualities were exported to other places. The wines intended for trade were stored in large special jars which had markings of the producer and the place of origin, while in Thassos laws were also enacted that prohibited adulteration, thus creating a first version of the Protected Designation of Origin.

Feature Image by @fikosantonios (ig profile)