A Short History of Pomino

Though Pomino does not enjoy the fame of Est Est or even Erveluce, it still attracts a considerable number of admirers and remains among the best wines in the world. Few, however, know how close the world came to losing its slightly acrid, surprisingly deep aftertaste. The cause of this averted disaster was Phylloxera Mortifera, that is to say, Phylloxera the Deadly, a species of aphid whose sudden attack nearly wiped out all existing vines of this variety. For many weeks no one was able to exterminate this pest and it seemed Pomino was doomed to extinction. In the end, however, the aphids were defeated by ducal alchemists and a carefully selected group of vintners was appointed to ensure its vines took root at Castel Ravello once more. Some experts from the time of the plague claim their restoration efforts introduced cross-contaminants and never again were they able to extract from this grape that same bottomless flavor as before.