The fine wines of the Langhe > History of wine

The wine is bound to the birth of human civilization. There are several legends: according to the Bible, this beverage was discovered by Noah after the Deluge, while according to the pagan tradition, it was invented by Bacchus. When humans realized that grape juice could be preserved and fermented, he had already discovered agriculture. The Minor Asia vineyard spread throughout the Mediterranean area rapidly, here finding an ideal climate. The Romans elected wine as the king of the table, and the modern methods of wine-making were discovered by monks only in 1600. The French discovered that they could obtain white wine out of black grapes. In the Late Middle Age, the major consumers of wine were the Italians, while the remaining of Europe preferred beer. Before XII century Europe had a colder climate, and the differences between Mediterranean and Continental climates considerable. While grapes ripe easily in Southern Europe, the contrary occurred in Northern Europe. For this reason, Nordic people had to buy wine from other countries.