The Steward's Vineyards in the Lossarnach Region of Gondor

J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth was in many ways a parable of European society and history; accordingly he based certain races and polities on European states and cultures. For instance, the Shire where the hobbits hail from is akin to rural England. Tolkien himself stated that he based the kingdom of Gondor on the Byzantine Empire.

One reflective aspect of European society was their drinking habits. The hobbits of the Shire love beer and ale, mirroring England’s traditional beverage of choice. Further afield as the hobbits leave the Shire they begin to encounter wine more and more.

A notable type of wine described by Tolkien was Dorwinion wine. Dorwinion was a land which lay near Gondor, its wine was produced from grapes grown in the great gardens of this kingdom. Dorwinion wine was so strong that even the all-knowing and sombre elves could get drunk from drinking it and fall into a deep sleep.