In ancient Greece and Rome, people who drank undiluted wine were called barbarians. For the first time such "wildness" was seen by the Spartans during a meeting with the Scythians. After that, the Greeks began to call the use of pure wine "to drink in the Scythian way." Now in the wine-making countries of Europe wine is diluted with water not so often, but there are times when it is advisable to add it to the drink.
Why wine was diluted before
In ancient times, wine had a slightly different role. For example, among the Greeks, wine is the main drink for quenching their thirst, since they did not have enough drinking water. Only children and the sick were allowed to drink clean water, the rest of the people had to be content with diluted wine.
The Romans stored wine in a thickened form due to the fact that their amphorae could not ensure the complete preservation of wine in liquid form. Therefore, before serving, the jelly-like consistency was diluted with water - this was the crown of the culture. In ancient Rome, it was believed that other peoples drink wine undiluted. And although times have changed, the tradition has remained, it has only acquired new meanings.
Why dilute wine
Today wine is diluted with water for several reasons. For example, white grape wine is suitable for quenching thirst, it is diluted in a ratio of 1: 4 or 1: 3 (part of wine and 3-4 parts of water).
Wine is also diluted with water to reduce its sweetness and strength. If you mix it with water correctly, then it will drink easily without causing strong alcoholic intoxication. Often, homemade wines come out too sugary, and the addition of water can neutralize the sugary taste. Only such wine should be diluted exclusively before serving, and that is, there is a risk that it will deteriorate.
Hot red wine warms well, coughs and colds are treated with it. Here you need to dilute a bottle of red wine with 200 ml of water, add 7 clove buds and honey with nutmeg to taste. Next, the mixture must be brought to a boil, cook for minutes over low heat. It turns out homemade mulled wine, which has a healing effect. During cooking, part of the alcohol evaporates, and thanks to the added water, the drink turns out to be low-alcoholic. To cure a cough, you need to drink a cup of hot wine twice a day.
For religious purposes, wine is also diluted. For example, Orthodox priests during the sacrament of the Sacrament distribute diluted Cahors to the parishioners. Cahors are also checked for quality by mixing. To do this, part of Cahors is diluted with three parts of water, after 15 minutes the wine must be tasted. High-quality Cahors will retain the aroma and color, while the surrogate will acquire an unpleasant odor and become cloudy.
How to properly dilute wine
To dilute wine, use exclusively spring, boiled or distilled water. White and red wine in Argentina is diluted with carbonated mineral water, the ratio is 1: 3 - sparkling wine is obtained.
When diluting wine, its volume should always be less than the volume of water. According to the European tradition, white wines are diluted with cold water, red ones - with hot water. Dessert, semi-dry, semi-sweet and sweet wines can be diluted with water; if you dilute fortified wine, it will lose its taste. By the way, water should be poured into wine, not the other way around.
If you adhere to the listed recommendations, then you can get a low-alcohol drink with a pleasant light taste.
