Written on 04/08/2020
"If the truth is less beautiful than the legend, print the legend".
When a traveler opens his door to us from afar, the sacred law of hospitality demands two things: that we serve him wine and that he tell us stories of his homeland. And so, for as long as man has existed, he has been forging legends about wine "from home", at the same time as being made to drink wine "not from home".
Here are two legends of different ages and origins who have brought local wines to international renown.
A dragon in Alsace
In those days, the Rhine had no manners and overflowed everywhere. Only a few of the Alsatian hills had sunny summits. Swimming in the cold waters of the river-sea, a dragon (who would have deserved a name) wanted to take advantage of the archipelago to dry his wings. He lay down on a hill and fell asleep. A long time. So long that the sun finally melted his scales and boiled his blood, which was immediately drunk by the earth. Awakened by pain, he barely had the strength to drag himself to the bottom of a cave and die. Later, when Man understood that wine was essential to earthly happiness, he cultivated this hill fertilized by dragon's blood, which gave them Brand, a white wine with fiery reflections.
Florence's black rooster
If you like Chianti, you'll have noticed that each bottle has a black rooster on it. If you're not curious, open the bottle and drink it. If you are curious, open the bottle and drink it while reading the following.
This emblem has its origins in the perpetual wars between Siena and Florence. To put an end to the bloodshed and establish a definitive border, it was agreed that in the morning, at the hour when the cock crows, one rider would set off from Siena, another from Florence. Their meeting point would be the new boundary between the two territories. The Sienese chose the most beautiful white-feathered rooster they could find. The Florentines, on the other hand, chose a famished black rooster. Awakened by hunger, he squawked earlier than his counterpart, giving the rider's start before daybreak. Inevitably, the two rivals met very close to Siena. This is why the majority of Chianti is still under Florentine jurisdiction.
