Greeks and Wine...

Ancient Greeks believed that ignorance of viticulture was the mark of savages and wine the touchstone of civilization. Since ancient times, the villagers of Distomo grew grapes and made wine. When I was growing up, almost every household had a vineyard in the scarce land that was available near the village. But that wasn't enough for most families. If there was a small space in the back yard or by the balcony, there would certainly be a climbing vine that would be present.

Whenever possible this vine would form a canopy that would provide both shade and a source of grapes. We had one of those vines in our home. I would eagerly watch the vine in the spring as it was budding and later on as the flowers turned into pin-head size grapes. When the grapes began to ripe and turn into a brilliant red color, my mouth would water in anticipation of the day when I could slowly crush them between my teeth and taste their sweetness.
There were plenty of grapes in the village to eat in late summer and to make wine in the fall. While the quantity was always adequate, the quality was…well, let’s say there was plenty of good quality vinegar. The neighboring villages had neither the quantity nor the quality of our wine and that resulted to trading their local goods for our wine. There were several families that made a living from selling wine to a broader market as well.