Lesbian wine

Lesbian wine is wine made from the Greek island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea. The island has a long history of winemaking dating back to at least the 7th century BC when it was mentioned in the works of Homer (Odyssey X.235). During this time the area competed with the wines of Chios for the Greek market. An apocryphal account details one of the brothers of the poet Sappho as a merchant trading Lesbian wine with the Greek colony of Naucratis in Egypt. The most noted Lesbian wine was known as "Pramnian" which draws similarities today to the Hungarian wine Eszencia. H. Johnson "Vintage: The Story of Wine" pg 44 Simon and Schuster 1989 ISBN 0671687026 ] The popularity of Lesbian wine continued into Roman times where it was highly valued along with other Aegean wines of Chios, Thasos and Kos. J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 5 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906 ]

Viticulture and wine

The warm Mediterranean climate of Lesbos provides a suitable climate for viticulture to flourish. While the exact grapes for the Pramnian are not known, its method of production was recorded. The grapes were allowed to hang on the vine, like that of a late harvest wine, till they were at their ripest points. After harvest, they were piled in large containers to where the weight of the clusters crushed the grapes underneath them producing free run juice without the use of a wine press. This juice was said to be very thick and a sort of nectar. The resulting grape must is very high in sugar and even after a brief fermentation period it still retains high residual levels and creates a viscous, honeyed sweet wine. The Pramnian was described as "smelling of flowers" (Greek: ανθοσμίας, "anthosmias") by ancient writers, a characteristic found nowadays in the muscats produced in the nearby islands of Samos and Lemnos.

Other types of Pramnian

While Lesbos is considered by some scholars to be the main source of Pramnian, there is association of the name with wines from Smyrna and Icaria. The Greek writer Athenaeus used the term in almost a generic way to refer to any dark, long lived wine of good quality. Athenaeus description also paints a different description than of a Tokay-like wine, instead of a wine that is dry and very strong. J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 328 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906 ]

Modern winemaking

Lesbian wine is still being produced today privately, mainly for home consumption. The only commercial winery of the island, called Methymneos [" [http://www.methymneos.gr Methymneos Winery Website] " Accessed Jan. 28th, 2008] , is in the village of Chidira. [M. Barret " [http://www.greecefoods.com/wine/index.html A Guide to Greek Wine] " Accessed Nov. 26th, 2007]

ee also

*Ancient Greece and wine

References