wine had become a standard beverage in Greece, one that was made strong, watered down before drinking, and graded in quality for freeman and slave The culture of the vine was not established in Italy until about 200 BCE, but it took hold so well that the Greeks took to calling southern Italy Oenotria, “land of the grape.” Over the next couple of centuries, Rome advanced the art of winemaking considerably Pliny devoted a full book of his Natural History to the grape He noted that there were now an infinite number of varieties, that the same grape could produce very different wines in different places, and named Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Gaul (France) as admired sources Like the Egyptians, the Romans had airtight amphoras that allowed them to age wine for years without spoiling The Greeks and Romans also preserved and flavored wines with tree resins or the pitch refined from them, salt, and spices It was in Roman times that wooden casks — an innovation of northern Europe — arrived along the Mediterranean as an alternative to clay amphoras During subsequent centuries, they became the standard wine vessel, and amphoras disappeared Casks had the advantage of being lighter and less fragile, but the disadvantage of not being airtight This meant that wines could only be stored in them for a handful of years before they became overoxidized and unpleasant to drink Excellent aged wines therefore disappeared along with the amphora, and only reappeared after more than a thousand years with the invention of the corkstoppered bottle (p 724) The Spread of Winemaking in Europe; the Rise of France After the fall of Rome around the 5th century CE, Christian monasteries advanced the arts of viticulture and winemaking in Europe Local rulers endowed ... thousand years with the invention of the corkstoppered bottle (p 724) The Spread of Winemaking in Europe; the Rise of France After the fall of Rome around the 5th century CE, Christian monasteries advanced the arts of viticulture and winemaking... years before they became overoxidized and unpleasant to drink Excellent aged wines therefore disappeared along with the amphora, and only reappeared after more than a thousand years with the invention of the corkstoppered bottle (p... Casks had the advantage of being lighter and less fragile, but the disadvantage of not being airtight This meant that wines could only be stored in them for a handful of years before they became overoxidized and