Historical and Heritage Sustainability for the Revival of Ancient Wine-Making Techniques and Wine Styles

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to provide a general description of ancient winemaking techniques and wine styles that were most lauded in antiquity, in support of their revival and dissemination today. From the first fully excavated winery, dating from the late fifth to the early fourth millennium BC, the gentle crushing of grapes by foot and the probable absence of maceration indicate that most wines were made with the aim of reducing astringency. The oxidative nature of winemaking would have resulted in rapid browning, so that wines made from red grapes would have had a similar color to those made from white grapes after being aged in clay vats for several years. The difficulty in preventing the wine surface contact with the air would have resulted in biological ageing under the yeast pellicle being a common occurrence. This phenomenon was not considered a flaw, but a characteristic feature of highly prized wines. Dried grapes were used to make sweet wines, which were also highly prized, therefore justifying the construction of dedicated facilities. The addition of boiled juices, salt, resins, mixtures of herbs, spices, fruit juices, flowers, or honey to the wines would have increased their taste pleasantness while improving their preservability and medicinal properties. Indeed, today’s preference for flavored wines with a soft mouthfeel seems to have been representative of the ancient elite consumers. Overall, the technical interpretation of winemaking described in this review will provide solid historical support for the current rebirth of ancient production methods, particularly those using pottery vessels.

Burial offerings in intramural tombs at Middle Bronze Age Megiddo

“…Another explanation for the appearance of both plant oil residues and wine markers in storage vessels can be related to the way the wine was stored. Traditionally, in ancient Rome and Greco‐Roman Egypt, olive oil or other plant oils were added directly into the wine containers or as part of their sealing in order to prevent the oxidation and spoilage of the wine; the oil floated on top of the wine and prevented the wine from coming in contact with oxygen (Harutyunyan & Malfeito‐Ferreira, 2022). This tradition is later to the Middle Bronze Age to which the current vessels are dated, though this method may have been used in earlier periods as well.…”

Consumer acceptance of sweet wines andpiquettesobtained by the adaptation of Ancient Wine‐making Techniques

“…Wine production can be traced back to 6,000 BC in the South Caucasus region, as confirmed by the chemical analysis of archeological artifacts (Harutyunyan & Malfeito-Ferreira, 2022a, 2022b. The production of sweet wines is described by ancient Roman authors in their comprehensive agricultural treatises (Dodd, 2020).…”

“…These wines could be obtained by drying grapes under the sun, creating products likely to attain 16% ( v/v ) alcohol and a high level of residual sugar supplemented by the addition of honey, boiled juices, or fruit juices (Harutyunyan et al, 2022). One of the grape varieties used was the Apiana or Psithia , probably corresponding to varieties similar to the present Muscat of Alexandria (Harutyunyan & Malfeito‐Ferreira, 2022b).…”

Making wine in earthenware vessels: a comparative approach to Roman vinification

“…Maceration in this sense is not mentioned in the ancient sources. Together with the agronomists’ recommendation to transfer the must to dolia shortly after pressing, this has generated the idea that Roman vinification made little use of maceration and was in essence a white-winemaking process (Brun 2003; Boulay 2012; Harutyunyan & Malfeito-Ferreira 2022). This interpretation, however, is much influenced by strict modern distinctions between white and red wines, which did not existent in Antiquity.…”