Page 48 - Terčelj, Dušan. 2015. The Culture of Wine in Slovenia. Edited by Aleš Gačnik. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 48
he Culture of Wine in Slovenia
deals had to be registered, together with the names of the parties involved; weights had to
have denotations guaranteed by the authorities; victuallers were not allowed to add water
to wine; and so on.
The vine and the olive tree facilitated the dense populations in the states along the eastern
Mediterranean. In Mycenae on Crete archaeologists have found vine seeds. Historians
assume that the vine and the olive tree were also the foundations of Cretan culture. In
Egyptian tombs vessels containing wine, marked with its origin or provenance, which was
the mark of the quality of the ruler’s favourite wine, were included among the favourite
objects buried with the pharaons.
Around 1000 BC, numerous subspecies of vine were created. These already had large
clusters of grapes. In the Old Testament, there are numerous references to vines and wine.
Viticulture signified wealth. When Moses led the Israelis out of Egyptian slavery back to
Palestine, he sent scouts from the edge of the desert to Canaan (Palestine). They returned
with a large bunch of grapes, which encouraged the Israelis to return to the Promised Land.
Biblical scene of the carrying of a large bunch of grapes. The 25th agricultural festivity in Svečina, 2006. Photo: Aleš Gačnik.
The wise Jewish ruler Solomon, who is thought to have written the Song of Songs, a
lyrical poem that belongs at the very apex of ancient poetry, connected love with the
vine in the following way:
Lover: L et your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
the smell of your breath like apples,
Your mouth like the best wine,
that goes down smoothly for my beloved,
gliding through the lips of those who are asleep.
44
deals had to be registered, together with the names of the parties involved; weights had to
have denotations guaranteed by the authorities; victuallers were not allowed to add water
to wine; and so on.
The vine and the olive tree facilitated the dense populations in the states along the eastern
Mediterranean. In Mycenae on Crete archaeologists have found vine seeds. Historians
assume that the vine and the olive tree were also the foundations of Cretan culture. In
Egyptian tombs vessels containing wine, marked with its origin or provenance, which was
the mark of the quality of the ruler’s favourite wine, were included among the favourite
objects buried with the pharaons.
Around 1000 BC, numerous subspecies of vine were created. These already had large
clusters of grapes. In the Old Testament, there are numerous references to vines and wine.
Viticulture signified wealth. When Moses led the Israelis out of Egyptian slavery back to
Palestine, he sent scouts from the edge of the desert to Canaan (Palestine). They returned
with a large bunch of grapes, which encouraged the Israelis to return to the Promised Land.
Biblical scene of the carrying of a large bunch of grapes. The 25th agricultural festivity in Svečina, 2006. Photo: Aleš Gačnik.
The wise Jewish ruler Solomon, who is thought to have written the Song of Songs, a
lyrical poem that belongs at the very apex of ancient poetry, connected love with the
vine in the following way:
Lover: L et your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
the smell of your breath like apples,
Your mouth like the best wine,
that goes down smoothly for my beloved,
gliding through the lips of those who are asleep.
44
