Legends of discovery. Phoenicia

Legends of discovery

There are many apocryphal tales about the origins of wine. Biblical accounts tell of Noah and his sons producing wine at the base of Mount Ararat. One tale involves the legendary Persian king, Jamshid and his harem. According to the legend, the king banished one of his harem ladies from his kingdom, causing her to become despondent and wishing to commit suicide. Going to the king's warehouse, the girl sought out a jar marked "poison" which contained the remnants of grapes that had spoiled and were deemed undrinkable. Unbeknown to her, the "spoilage" was actually the result of fermentation caused by the breakdown of the grapes by yeast into alcohol. After drinking the so-called poison, the harem girl discovered its effects to be pleasant and her spirits were lifted. She took her discovery to the King who became so enamored with this new "wine" beverage that he not only accepted the girl back into his harem but also decreed that all grapes grown in Persepolis would be devoted to winemaking. While most wine historians view this story as pure legend, there is archaeological evidence that wine was known and extensively traded by the early Persian kings.

Phoenicia

The Phoenicians were the recipients of winemaking knowledge from eastern areas and, in turn, through their extensive trade network were essential in distributing wine, wine grapes and wine-making technology throughout the Mediterranean. The Phoenician use of amphora for transporting wine was widely adopted and Phoenician-distibuted grape varieties were important in the development of the wine industries of Rome and Greece.

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