2024-04-28 11:13:24
[명욱의 술기로운 세계사] The largest wine producer in the Middle East until the Iranian Revolution in 1979… Origin of Shiraz variety
The situation in the Middle East is becoming increasingly complex. On April 1 (local time), Israel bombed the Iranian consulate in Syria, and Iran responded by launching 300 drones and missiles toward Israel on April 13. Five days later, the situation worsened when it became known that an Israeli missile had struck Iran again. This is the first time that Iran and Israel, which were engaged in a proxy war, directly attacked each other.
The relationship between the two countries was not bad from the beginning. Relations were good during the Pahlavi Dynasty (1925-1979) in Iran. As it turns out, it was the Persian Empire, the predecessor to Iran, that liberated the Israelites in the past. In 587 BC, many Jews were taken captive to Babylon, the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. They lived in captivity for about 50 years, but were able to return to their homeland when Cyrus II of the Persian Empire overthrew Neo-Babylonia. The Persian emperor became the liberator of the Jews. He is King Cyrus who appears in the Bible’s ‘Book of Isaiah.’ King Cyrus, who valued tolerance, allowed Jews to return home and even supported the cost of restoring the Temple in Jerusalem, a Jewish holy site. In the movie ‘300’, the Persian king
Persia was serious about wine.
The Persian Empire was also serious about wine. They even faked it as poison to prevent people from drinking wine. There is an interesting Persian myth related to this. This is a story about Jamshid, the fourth king of the Pishdad dynasty, and a woman. The woman had a special relationship with Jamshid, but she lost the king’s favor, which made her so discouraged that she attempted to take her own life. But something surprising happened. She went to the king’s storehouse and drank a liquid from a jar marked ‘poison’. After drinking it, she felt refreshed. It turned out that the poison was actually wine. Decayed grapes were left in a jar, and over time they fermented into wine. The woman shared this experience with Jamshid, and the king accepted him again. He is further said to have issued an order that all grapes grown in Persepolis be made into wine.
Before the discovery of the first wine ruins in Georgia, Iran was known as the first wine producing region. This is because traces of the ‘first wine’, which is believed to have been made about 7,000 years ago, were discovered at the foot of the Zagros Mountains in Iran. This is a trace of wine being made at home during the Neolithic Age, and the contents of the pottery were fermented grape juice, or wine.
In fact, there are famous wine regions in and around the Zagros Mountains. Shiraz is the capital of the Fars region and a plateau city located at 1486m above sea level and around 1500m above sea level in the Zagros Mountains. Shiraz is the fifth largest city in Iran and the center of the Persian Empire during the Achaemenid Dynasty, and was located 60 km away from the capital Persepolis at the time.
Shiraz, Syrah, Shiraz
The three most famous things about Shiraz are poetry, roses, and wine. Among these, the poet Hafez is especially famous. He was active in this area in the 13th century and had a great influence on the German poet Goethe. Goethe was inspired by Hafez’s poetry and wrote ‘Western Poetry Collection’. On the contrary, Hafez became known as Goethe’s West-Eastern Poetry Collection was introduced to Europe and Asia. Goethe said that when it comes to poetry he has no one who can rival Hafez. Hafez left behind many poems related to wine.
Roses in my heart,
Wine in my hand, lover by my side
On a day like that, even the monarch of the world
To me, you are just a slave.
Wine since God created the world
No other gifts were given.
Wine is the dew of God,
A light illuminating the darkness, a house of reason.
Shiraz became famous because there is a theory that the name of the famous grape variety originated from this place. These are Syrah and Shiraz. Syrah is a name mainly used in the Rhone in southern France, and in Australia it is called Shiraz. According to the latest research, the variety name Syrah does not appear to have originated from an Iranian place name. In a way, it may be used because Shiraz, Iran’s thousand-year-old capital, is very famous.
Iran has a wonderful history with wine, and was the largest wine producer in the Middle East until the Iranian Revolution in 1979. However, it does not produce wine now. This is because the production, manufacture, distribution, and drinking of alcohol are prohibited by law, and those who violate this are subject to 80 lashes and a fine.
The conflict between Israel and Iran is deepening. Is it not possible to solve the current situation by recalling the liberation of the Jews 2,500 years ago? In particular, I hope that wine will serve as a medium for reconciliation between the two countries. As it turns out, alcohol is a valuable and precious heritage for Israel, Iran, and even all of humanity.
Columnist Myeong-wook…
Mainstream humanities and trend researcher. She served as head professor of the highest level course in gastronomic culture at Sookmyung Women’s University and currently serves as an adjunct professor in the Barista & Sommelier Department at Sejong Cyber University. Her books include ‘The Art of Young Werther’ and ‘The Art of Horsemanship’. She recently published ‘Boozy World History’, in which she looks at history and trends through alcohol.
〈This article Weekly Donga It was published in issue 1437〉
Myungwook, mainstream culture columnist
2024-04-28 11:13:24