In ancient Greece and Rome, people who drank undiluted wine were considered barbarians. Later, after the meeting of the Spartans with the Scythians, this opinion came to naught, the wine was no longer diluted with water. The use of Greek wine in its pure form began to be called "drink in Scythian style." In conversations, this "term" was used.
Now the wine is diluted with water in many wine-making countries of the world, but not as often as before. It is believed that this is relevant in cases where it is advisable to add water.
Plain water
In the old days, wine had a slightly different role than it is now. For example, the Greeks drank wine, which was intended to quench thirst, due to the lack of drinking water. Only sick children were allowed to drink plain water.
It is easy to dilute the wine with water. This is accessible not only to professional bartenders and sommeliers. To do this, you need purified bottled water.
The Romans kept the wine in thickened barrels, as their amphoras could not guarantee the complete integrity and safety of liquid wine. Before use, the gelatin consistency had to be diluted with water. The inhabitants of ancient Rome thought that other countries (including the Greeks) drink undiluted wine. Time has changed, but traditions remain, receiving different meanings. Dilute the wine with water carefully and competently.
Why wine is diluted
Now it is recommended in the following situations:
1. Quenching thirst. One of the main reasons. White wine obtained from varietal grapes is diluted in a ratio of 1: 3 or 1: 4 (1 part white wine to 3-4 parts water).
2. Reduce strength and sweetness. After homogenization with water, the wine becomes lighter and does not cause severe poisoning. Many house wines are too sweet (sugar affects the inability to check acidity). Adding pure water (bottled) eliminates the cloying taste. Fresh homemade wine should be diluted before use, otherwise it may get worse.
3. For a variety of medical purposes. Mulled red wine has the effect of heating the body, it successfully treats colds and coughs. To be treated in this way, in a bottle of red wine diluted with 200 ml of water, add 6-7 branches of cloves, 2 large tablespoons of honey and nutmeg if desired. All this is boiled for 1-1.5 minutes. This mixture has a very positive therapeutic effect.
Due to the evaporation of alcohol and the availability of prepared water for drinks, we get a low alcohol content. To treat a cough, you should drink a cup of boiled red wine 2 times a day.
4. Use in religion and sects. During orthodox fellowship, the priesthood gives people alcohol. In addition, by mixing with distilled water, its taste and quality can be improved.
To do this, dilute 1 part of Cahors with 3 parts of water. After 15 minutes, drink the tincture. High-quality Cahors should retain color and aroma, the substitute immediately becomes cloudy and starts to smell unpleasant.
Mixing rules
1. Use only boiled, mineral or distilled water. This is a very important condition. If you do not perform it, then in addition to lowering the quality of the wine, your health can sharply worsen.
In Argentina, different types of wines are diluted with sparkling mineral water. As a result, this strong wine makes a drink that looks like champagne.
2. The amount of wine should be less than water.
3. In the European tradition, red wine is diluted with warm purified water.
4. Only sweet and semi-dry wines can be mixed with water. Strong alcoholic diluted wines completely lose their taste.
5. Water is poured into wine, not wine into water.
Balance and quality
These recommendations will help you get a light alcoholic drink, it will delight you with its taste and aroma. Although sommeliers do not support the combination of wine and mineral water, dilution remains a very common option among all drink lovers in different countries. How you should use it correctly and why you need to know when you are preparing it, read below. How to mix natural mineral water with food and wine? The question is most often found among sommeliers in large restaurants. It is not easy to find a balance between different types of food, mineral water and wine, so that they matter, but especially do not overlap each other's qualities.
It is advisable to use them separately. As a rule, you need to combine wine with water, which is served at a temperature slightly higher than the wine itself.
Combination of ingredients
With white wines, weakly mineralized water goes well, with red wines it is better to use more mineralized water, since the wine is tannic.
Along with sweet or semi-sweet wines, usually served in very hot countries, mineral water, crystal clear or carbon-free, is ideal.
If you still prefer to combine wine with mineral water, take care of the ingredients: a mix with mineral water containing carbon dioxide is good.
If you have the opportunity to drink very good wine, it is best to use it without water in order to enjoy its intense aromas. Then you won’t even think about why the wine is diluted with water.