Egyptian wine
Egyptian wine has ancient roots and a modern revival.
Winemaking in Egypt has a tradition dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. The modern industry is small but has made efforts to improve quality, including inviting international expertise in the late 1990s.
Quick Facts
- Earliest winemaking
- 3rd millennium BC
Facts from the source article.
Climate
High average temperatures and poor rainfall are major challenges for Egyptian grape growers. After the dam stopped the floods, vineyards adopted drip irrigation. Other solutions include using pergolas for shade, palm trees as windbreaks, and refrigerated trucks for harvest transport.
Grape varieties
A tourism boom then pushed wineries to produce cheap wine in large quantities, often using imported concentrated juice diluted and fermented, harming Egyptian wine's reputation. The industry now experiments with international varieties suited to the climate: reds include Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Grenache, Bobal, and Tempranillo; whites include Viognier, Chardonnay, and Muscat.
History
Wine was a staple commodity in ancient Egypt, important in ceremonial life. Tomb wall scenes and offering lists show wine was produced in delta vineyards, and by the end of the Old Kingdom five distinct wines, probably all from the Delta, formed a canonical set for the afterlife. Ancient Egyptian wine was predominantly red; its resemblance to blood led to superstition. Shedeh, the most precious ancient Egyptian drink, is now known to have been a red wine, not fermented from pomegranates as once thought. Plutarch's Moralia relates that before Psammetichus I, pharaohs did not drink or offer wine, believing it the blood of those who fought the gods and from whom vines sprang, explaining why drunkenness was thought to drive men mad. Residue from five clay amphoras in Tutankhamun's tomb has been shown to be white wine, indicating it was at least available through trade. Winemaking continued under Roman rule. Christians became the majority by the 3rd century, and despite the Church of Alexandria's reserved attitude toward alcohol, monasteries stored and produced large quantities of wine.
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