Concrete egg-shaped fermenters: One of the newest trends in innovative winemaking? Or a doomed fad destined to go the way of the mullet?
Maybe you’ve seen one of these humpty dumpty-esque looking objects brooding in the corner of your favorite tasting room or wine cave and thought to yourself: “What the heck is that?”
Let’s explore why some are so egg-cited about this ancient trend.
Who laid the first concrete egg?
Neither new nor a trend, egg-shaped fermenters come to us via a very long and ancient road. It’s a road that travels well past the advent of the oak wine barrel, and beyond biblical times.
While consensus on the magic of the egg fermenter remains scrambled, these vessels have been around for a long time. How long, you ask? Eight thousand years ago (aka The Stone Age!) according to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
But where was this tradition started?
Origins in the birthplace of wine
Archaeologists in Georgia found the ancient remains of large, earthen vessels containing the remnants of wine inside. Radiocarbon dating and chemical analysis of the residue confirmed these findings.
Clay grape designs on the outside of the vessel gave researchers more clues about their use.
These egg-shaped vessels, known as qvevri, are still common in the area today. Similar oblong vessels called amphora began appearing in Greece and Rome 3000 years ago. They were the primary means of transporting wine in the ancient world.
From qvevri to barrel
It’s not difficult to imagine the problems involved with transporting these large, heavy vessels all over the ancient world. This was before the advent of the paved road or Goodyear tires.
The Romans decided to adopt the Gallic barbarians’ method of storing and transporting wine via the less fragile oak barrel.
By the 300’s BC, the barrel began its 2 000-year-long career as the wine storage container of choice. The humble amphora and qvevri, however, were not forgotten.
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