Medieval people drank wine, and a lot of it. Some speculate that it would have tasted much worse than today’s drink, because it wasn’t stored in glass bottles, and corks hadn’t been invented. This might have made older wines murky with dead yeasts, and easily spoiled. The best wines likely were the newer ones which had been pressed in autumn, when a bit of carbon dioxide might have made it fizzy and the beverage was fruity. Adding herbs and honey was a common way to make the wine taste better.
People who had options didn’t prioritize the locale of the grapes when selecting wine. Indeed, they might have paid attention to the Ancient idea of humors in medical practice, so that one would try to think about the qualities of hot and cold, wet and dry in their bodies and environment, and pick a wine that would balance these qualities. (In winter, drink warm wine; if young, avoid heated). The wines were also described with more colors than today’s: black (a very dark red), for instance, or gold, green, or pink.
A study published last month (April 2023) identified two grape varieties used in winemaking dating to circa 900 CE which are related to modern grapes. One was practically the same as a grape variety called “Syriki” that produces a high-quality red wine in modern Greece and Lebanon, and another is related to a kind called Be’er, which made white wines. Interesting to notice what stays the same and what has changed about this very ancient drink.
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