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The enjoyment of wine is an ancient Earthly tradition. Though they don’t have machinery to operate or grape harvester parts to source, even animals enjoy a good dose of fermented fruit from time to time. Humans, by contrast, have made an organized industry out of wine, and the way we go about its production is truly fascinating.
Take a tour through some of the more unusual aspects of the world’s wineries with the amazing facts below:
1. Modern wineries use ancient techniques developed by monks
You have monks from the Middle Ages to thank for the glass of wine you enjoy as you watch the evening news or settle in with a good book. A vast array of flavors and varieties have been produced thanks to their diligent experimentation. One name you might recognize is Dom Pierre Perignon. This Benedictine monk was so central to the wine-making experiments of the 18th and 19th centuries that the much-adored Dom Perignon champagne was named in his honor.
2. The oldest wineries are older than you probably think
At this stage, the oldest traces of wine date back to 7,000 BCE (aka 9,000 years ago). These ancient remnants are of honey and rice wine and were found in China. However, there is evidence that vineyards began to be cultivated around this same time in the Middle East, meaning grape-based wines have enjoyed a similarly long history.
3. There’s an underwater winery
Head to Dubrovnik, in the south of Croatia, venture out along the road that skirts the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and when you make it to the Pelješac Peninsula, you should soon find Drače. Why this long and complicated trip? Well, off the coast of Drače, lies an oenophile’s (wine lover’s) delight – an underwater winery.
The Edivo Viva winery ages its wines in an underwater cellar crafted from a sunken boat. It is said that the perfect silence and naturally cool temperature of the ocean combine to create the perfect environment for developing astounding flavors in the wine. The best part? You can dive down and retrieve the wine yourself!
4. Volcanic wineries are a thing
The oldest winery in the Canary Islands is also one of the most extreme. Bodegas El Grifo is nestled in La Geria, San Bartolome, and the island is black with volcanic ash. Desolate though the alien-looking landscape may seem, it has proven to provide the perfect terroir for Malvasia grapes. Bodegas El Grifo has been producing award-winning wines for the last two centuries and is, in fact, one of the ten oldest wineries in Spain.
5. The biggest demand for wine comes from the tiniest countries
The world’s most respected wineries are never short on demand for their products. However, the most persistent demands come from Vatican City. Each year, the residents of Vatican City consume around 105 bottles each. To put this in perspective, that’s double the amount of wine consumed (per capita) by Italians and triple the amount consumed in the UK.
Number two on the list of wine-demanding countries is another tiny nation – Luxembourg. With a population of 535,000 people, Luxembourg is dwarfed by most other countries, but it is rather large compared to Vatican City’s 800-strong population. Luxembourg’s yearly per capita consumption of wine is around 42 bottles per person.
Think back on these facts the next time you unravel the stresses of the day over a comforting glass of wine. There’s far more to each sip than the taste that lingers in your mouth and the buzz that settles over your mind.
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