Centuries-old cultivation

Have you ever thought about who was the first person to drink wine in history?

According to the Bible, Noah was the first human being to cultivate a vineyard and also the first to drink to excess the wine produced from its fruit. According to Greek mythology, the god Dionysus was the one who had the honour of conveying to man the excellent qualities of wine.

Putting the myths to one side, what we do know for sure is that the Vitis vinifera (the common grapevine) has been grown by man for at least 8000 years, with wine being produced for the first time in the Regions of the northern Mesopotamia.

The first historical records of its cultivation are to be found in Egypt. An Egypt in which wine was only drunk by noblemen and priests and almost always for ritual purposes. The Greek culture promoted the cultivation of grapevines and the consumption of wine became popular. So much so that in ancient Greece an intoxication with wine could form part of a religious ritual, even reserving a place on Olympus for the god of wine: Dionysus.

With the arrival of the Roman Empire, wine consumption became more widespread to the extent that it became part of daily life and a basic necessity. They also had their god of wine, Bacchus. However, in the Middle Ages a double trend appeared. On the one hand, the constant migrations and conflicts weakened winegrowing. On the other hand, the Christian religious spirit extolled the symbolism of wine and, therefore, ensured that it was permanently produced.

Vinegrowing in Navarre could have its origins in the Iron Age, between years 900 and 400 before Christ. From that time onwards, vines have been present in the life of the inhabitants of Navarre, playing an important role in our history, something that you will be able to discover at Enozentrum.