Legends about whom firstly used vine for the wine making carries mythological character

For Egyptians Osiris was considered to be the father of vine making, to the ancient Greeks a vine was granted by Dionysus the god of merriment and wine. In the Bible this drink is mentioned at least 521 times and is directed to Noah. It is known for certain that people consumed grape and wine before 8-10 thousand years B.C. Researchers found out the imprints of vine on tuffs in a near Rome. It means that wild grapes appeared already in distant geological epochs much earlier than existence of some civilization on the earth.

Authentic masters of the vine making were ancient Egyptians. It is possible to judge about it by numerous pictures with the image of the stages of care of vine and production of wine in the tombs. But it is true that on these lands wine was the privilege of representatives of swell society and priests while simple people were satisfied with the beer.

In «Illiade» and «Odyssey» by Homer it is possible to meet numerous mentions about preparation and use of wine. Already then the best sorts were ripened for a long time. And tradition to dilute wine with water arose up not so much from a desire to decrease its action, but by reason of excessive concentration of the made drinks. Roman masters considerably perfected a technology of viniculture developing the technique of fermentation and maturing of wine in the sunshine. The idea of the protracted maturing of wine in amphoras belonged to them. Romans drank flavoured wines also applying them in cookery. With the lapse of time the drink reached Gaul where the portage of wines in oak casks was applied first time.

Since XII age French wine became an export product in fact with the distribution of Christianity the necessity of wine for religious ceremonies grew sharply. In our days viticulture and vine making is widespread all over the world. Especially actively it develops in Australia and South Africa Republic. Attitude of man toward wine was always dual. From the one side it was considered a cult drink with the other side it was considered the source of human weaknesses. Positive sides of wine consumption would long stay in the shadow if it were not «French paradox» discovered by Americans in the 1991. There is a surprising thing: on the statistics, Frenchmen smoke much more than other people, less go in for sports and consume unhealthy food. But they never forget abouta glass of red wine after a dinner. This habit operates as an original diet which protects the heart vessels preventing heart attacks. In addition, attaining to a stomach an alcohol contained in wine begins to stimulate the production of acid, exciting an appetite and assisting a digestion. It is very usefull for the people with the lowered acidity.

No less important side of wine action on the human organism its positive influence on the nervous system. Unlike sleeping-pills, causing narcotic sleep fourth of glass of dry wine with lightly sugar water causes normal physiological sleep. But perhaps the greatest discovery of the modern medicine about useful properties of wine is a conclusion done by gerontologists. It appears that only in the developed vine-making districts of the world (countries of Transcaucasia, France) there are a lot of long-livers in the age of 90, 100 and 110 years. The USA scientists set that the moderate use of easy dry wine (approximately 2 glasses a day) can prolong life-span for 2 years.

Red wine even diluted destroys the virus of poliomyelitis. The connoisseurs of drink have flu less than not drinking people. In fact it provides an antiflue prophylaxis. On the doctors supervisions people, drinking wine (moderately), rarely stay at home than those who profess the confession of complete alcoholic abstention. For the millenniums of development of civilization wine acquired the most different settings: from the mean of maintenance of forces and excitation of appetite to medicine, possessing the unique healthful properties. But main dignity of wine consists that it always causes positive emotions, cheers up and creates the special atmosphere at the festive table.