Lesbian wine iswine made on theGreek island ofLesbos in theAegean Sea. The island has a longhistory ofwinemaking dating back to at least the 7th century BC when it was mentioned in the works ofHomer.[1][2] During this time thearea competed with thewines ofChios for the Greek market. Anapocryphal account details one of the brothers of the poetSappho as a merchant trading Lesbian wine with the Greek colony ofNaucratis inEgypt. The most noted Lesbian wine was known asPramnian which draws similarities today to theHungarian wineEszencia.[3] The popularity of Lesbian wine continued intoRoman times where it was highly valued along with other Aegeanwines of Chios,Thasos andKos.[4]
The warmMediterranean climate of Lesbos provides a suitable climate forviticulture to flourish. While the exact grapes for the Pramnian are not known, its method of production was recorded[citation needed]. The grapes were allowed to hang on the vine, like that of alate harvest wine, till they were at their ripest points. Afterharvest, they were piled in large containers to the point that the weight of the clusters crushed the grapes underneath them producingfree run juice without the use of awine press. This juice was said to be very thick and a sort ofnectar.
While Lesbos is considered by some scholars to be the main source of Pramnian,[3] there is association of the name with wines fromSmyrna andIcaria. The Greek writerAthenaeus used the term in almost ageneric way to refer to any dark, long lived wine of good quality. Athenaeus's description also paints a different description than of a Tokay-like wine, instead of a wine that is dry and very strong.[2] The resulting grapemust is very high insugar and even after a brieffermentation period it still retains highresidual levels and creates aviscous, honeyedsweet wine.[3]
In the beginning of the 19th century the spread ofphylloxera to Lesbos as well as the island's specialization inouzo led to the stagnation of Lesbian wine production. After this point in time, wine was only privately produced on the island by farmers, until 1997, when Methymnaeos, the first winery producing bottled wine in the history of Lesbos, began operations in the village ofChidira. Methymnaeos solely producesorganic wine made exclusively from the revivedChidiriotiko grape variety of the island. This variety, saved from extinction byphylloxera because of its use by the winery, is cultivated on thesulfuric lava which formed thePetrified Forest of Lesbos.[5] This soil favorsorganic farming. The resulting organic wine has a rather distinct taste, characteristic of modern Lesbian Wine and attributable both to the unique Chidiriotiko grape variety of the island and to theterroir where it is grown.[6]