Questions from reader Paul Murphy prompted this week's article on wines of ancient times. Basically, 1) Were wines aged to last in Roman times? 2) Were there vineyards before then? 3) Did the Romans teach the French (in Provence) how to make wine?

Wine-making skills of the Romans most probably came via the ancient Greek colonies in Sicily and southern Italy. Homeric texts (8th century BC), record that matured vintages of Greek wines were accorded great reverence - probably akin to that awarded to 19th and early 20th century Bordeaux today.

Wall paintings on Egyptian tombs, circa 3,000 BC, show workers pruning vines with a curved hand-tool very similar to the small scythe still used in parts of rural Greece and Italy today. Several such implements and ancient links to wine have survived centuries of wine making.

"Think of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon 605-562 BC. The giant bottle holding 20 regular bottles of wine is named after him. He drank wine before the Romans ever tipped a goblet," historian diplomat Massimo Baistrocchi told me some time ago.

According to the great Greek historian Herodotus, (circa 484-425 BC) Persians loved wines. Called the "father of history" by Cicero, he wrote nine books on the wars between Greece and Persia containing much incidental information on life at the time.

Baistrocchi says, "There is one tale which says wine was discovered by accident in Persia, when one from the ruler's harem found a great jar of grapes which had been stored for some time and fermented naturally. She poured a cup for her master and (presumably) became his favourite!".

Even older Armenian legends say Noah planted the first vines near Erivan. And the Libation Scene in the "Standard" of Ur panel (Ur was an ancient city of Sumer, South Iraq, precursor of Babylon) dates from early 3,000 BC. A hollow box, decorated with scenes of the times, including wine drinking, is now in the British Museum. Amusingly, one side shows a potentate drinking from what looks like a Martini glass!

Earliest records of wine in Egypt are inscribed on the stoppers of amphorae found in pre-dynastic tombs. The kings even had their own named vineyards: Rameses III (1198-1166 BC) was one. Hmm, imagine that label.

Baistrocchi recalled, "The Romans not only brought wine to France but also to the Nahe Valley of Germany over 2000 years ago. Viticulture tools have been unearthed around the spa town of Bad Kreuznak; you can see them in the local museum there".

Busy as they were, the Romans weren't the first to plant vines for wine. You have to look further east for that. As reported in the China Daily edition of June 23, 2003, "25 kilos of vintage wine from the Western Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) was discovered in a nobleman's tomb in Shaanxi Province during construction excavation, and its raw lacquer seal has kept it perfectly airtight". Some controversy surrounds the colour of the wine - it's green. Most likely the reaction of the wine with the bronze container. It's doubtful anyone has tasted it.

Certainly, wine culture has spread all over the world, to South Africa since 1688 and Australia when the first commercial vineyard started in 1827. But that's a mere bagatelle when compared to ancient Roman and Chinese wines.

Did the Romans teach the French to make wine? Most probably they shared an amphora or two - it's the convivial nature of wine drinking, don't you agree? And one thing soon leads to another.

Maggie Beale is an international food and wine critic and judge; and president of Wine Writers Circle. She can be reached at:

wineexpert1@hotmail.com

(HK Edition 07/22/2005 page4)