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The EOS Estate Winery was established in 1996, by the Arciero Family, the Vern Underwood Family and Kerry Vix, general manager/partner. The winery is named after ?Eos,? the name given to the ?Goddess of the Dawn? in Greek Mythology. Eos was the inspiration for harvesting our Estate winegrapes before, or right after the sunrise, to keep the fruit cool and help retain fresh varietal character. The classical Greek mythology theme of the winery echoes not only a commitment to traditional winemaking techniques, but helps keep the focus on artistic quality instead of formula winemaking.
Wine and Mythology
The connection between mythology and the art of winemaking is not necessarily a tenuous one. Both the ancient Greeks and Romans cultivated grapes and made wine. At the time, because of its alcohol and antibacterial properties, wine was a much safer beverage than water. The Greek word for wine, oinos, gave us enology, the study of wine. Wine was also an important article of trade for the Greeks, and their amphora, containers used to transport wine, have been found throughout the Mediterranean, Egypt and the Middle East. Most Greek doctors used wine medicinally, and wine was often enjoyed with meals. Then there's the cult of Dionysis (later Bacchus) that devoted themselves to wine-induced celebrations around the seventh century BC. The Greeks even had a wine drinking game called kottabos.
The Greeks spread viticulture from Spain to the Black Sea, and the Romans followed and refined both grape growing and winemaking throughout Europe. According to Amerine and Singleton (Wine, University of California Press, 1977), the Romans developed the pruning knife and the first wooden cooperage. And it was the Romans who helped establish grape growing in southern England and Germany.
EOS, Goddess of the Dawn
In Greek mythology, Eos, the goddess of dawn, was sister to Helios (sun) and Selene (moon). She was the mother to the four winds: Boreas, Eurus, Zephyrus and Notus, and also of Heosphurus and the Stars. She was believed to open the gates of heaven every morning to the chariot of the Sun. Eos earned the wrath of Aphrodite by having a dalliance with Ares. One of Eos' lovers was Orion, which is why the constellation appears on the EOS Estate label today.
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