The wine of the Pharaohs is still trying to establish itself.
From the outset, it must be said that the quality of Egyptian wine is improving, but it is still necessary to find “takers”. The wine of the pharaohs of Egypt is certainly not recognized as being a country of excellence for the quality of its wines.
On the other hand, for some time now, Egypt has made enormous progress in this area. To such an extent that today in Egypt you can enjoy some good quality wines, with a delicious taste and very good freshness.
However, it must be remembered that Egypt is a country with warm temperatures. So that the work in the fields among the vines for the harvest of the grapes is exhausting.
In short, it is often under a crushing sun and with a veil over their heads that men and women sacrifice themselves all day long in order to produce “the wine of the pharaohs”.
5 or 6000 years ago, "wine orchards" were cultivated on the banks of the Nile, because we already knew how to prune the vine shoots, build a press, take advantage of fermentation. And what delicacy to care for the vine! Not a weeding without throwing some stones around the vines in order to aerate the earth. Tirelessly, we searched for the snail that devoured the young shoots tenderized with dew.
The winegrower worried about a useless leaf, clearing the bunch deprived of the sun. And when the moment of gathering approached, the birds were hunted all day long with slingshots.
For more than 3,500 years the inhabitants of the Nile Valley have cultivated vines and produced renowned wines. The use of various grape varieties as well as the notion of vintages were not unknown to them. Three Egyptologists present their work on viticulture in ancient Egypt. Its role in ancient religion and its place in society.
For a long part of its history, Egypt has been a beer-drinking country. This drink was part of the daily diet. This omnipresence of beer is probably the reason for a noticeable craze for wine: a luxury product, it could play the role of a social marker. Various sources bear witness to the role of wine, such as the images adorning the tombs of Pharaonic necropolises or the numerous references to wine in Egyptian literature.