Rumney wine
Encyclopedia
Rumney wine was a popular form of Greek
wine
in England
and Europe
during the 14th to 16th centuries. Its name was derived from its exporter Romania, which was at that time a common name for Greece
and the southern Balkans
, the lands of the Eastern Roman Empire. The wine was called Rumney or Romney in English, Romenier or Rumenier in German, vino di Romania in Italian. Writers on food and diet list it among sweet and "hot" wines (hot in the dietary sense) of which no more than one or two glasses should be taken. It was not a "fortified" wine in the modern sense, rather a "cooked" wine (vin cuit) to which boiled-down must (grape syrup) was added.
and other ports. Although modern methods are different, the Mavrodafni
of Patras might be regarded as a modern equivalent of medieval Rumney wine. At the same period, Monemvasia, on the eastern coast of the Peloponnese, was the centre for the export of Malmsey wine; Cretan wine
was the third of the medieval trio of Greek wines that were prized in western Europe.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
during the 14th to 16th centuries. Its name was derived from its exporter Romania, which was at that time a common name for Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and the southern Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, the lands of the Eastern Roman Empire. The wine was called Rumney or Romney in English, Romenier or Rumenier in German, vino di Romania in Italian. Writers on food and diet list it among sweet and "hot" wines (hot in the dietary sense) of which no more than one or two glasses should be taken. It was not a "fortified" wine in the modern sense, rather a "cooked" wine (vin cuit) to which boiled-down must (grape syrup) was added.
History
Rumney was exported from Methoni in the southern Peloponnese (one English source calls it Rompney of Modonn) and perhaps also from PatrasPatras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
and other ports. Although modern methods are different, the Mavrodafni
Mavrodafni
Mavrodafni is both a black wine grape indigenous to the Achaia region in Northern Peloponnese, Greece, and the sweet, fortified wine produced from it.-Winemaking:...
of Patras might be regarded as a modern equivalent of medieval Rumney wine. At the same period, Monemvasia, on the eastern coast of the Peloponnese, was the centre for the export of Malmsey wine; Cretan wine
Cretan wine
Cretan wine is wine from the Greek island of Crete. It has a long history since wine was certainly being made by the Minoans before 1600 BC. Wines from Crete are not listed among those specially prized in classical Greece, but under the Roman Empire in the 2nd century AD Crete was known for a sweet...
was the third of the medieval trio of Greek wines that were prized in western Europe.