Ulanan Wine

The wine produced in Ulana is considered some of the best in all of Perradin. It has influenced cultural and political landscapes across the world in various ways, shaping the very makeup of North Kingdom society and intenrational trade.

Mythical and Ancient Origins

Scholars believe the first cultivation of Ulanan grapes occurred sometime in the era before the First Free City, but the earliest material evidence is dated from the early 6th century FFC. Archaelogical remnants of ceramic urns likely to have contained wine have been found around the oldest winefields surrounding Pekneth. Old folklore attests that the knowledge of wine was given to the people by the now-Dead Goddess of Vines, Vinta, as a gift to honor the "New Monarch" of the land and to remember her influence after her passing from the world. She told them that the Ulanan Grape will always create a wine blessed by the beauty and strength of the people of the region, only able to grow in the Grasslands of Ula. Regardless of the origins of wine production in the region, its influence changed the course of the region for eons to come.
At some point in the mid-first millennium, legends tell of many warrior poets sailing from across the sea and arriving in Ulana. Many believe them to be descendants of long-lived survivors of the mythical The Wizening War in Pillarin which birthed the Free Cities. These warrior poets settled in the lush fields of Ulana, comingling with their new neighbors. They brought with them tales of theatric victories derived from The Wizening War as they began working on the small vineyards across the region. These would eventually evolve to become the famed Grapple Plays, a staple tradition of Ulana.

World Renown and Starfall

Following the opening of the first known trade arteries with Pillarin in the early second millennium, Ulanan wine became highly sought after abroad. The near-legendary high quality of the wine was known across the entire Cleomand Coast, leading to pilgrimages across the sea just to try it. Even the vinegar that resulted from expired wine was highly sought, leading to a tradition known as the Vinegar Feast in the winter to consume strong foods flavored with vinegar derived from "bad" stock. After the Starfall in the 16th century, wine production nearly ceased as the fields burned for months due to the rain of stellar debris. In the aftermath, many worshipers of Koinoniala, god of the community, formed communes across the battered duchy.
With the help of druidic magic, the survivors began to repair the land and regrow the vineyards that had been destroyed. The slow process would take centuries. Many tales speak of the ash of the old world and Velnor feeding the new grapevines and citrus orchards, and how it altered the taste of the wine permently. Some came to call wine produced after the starfall Blood Wine, for it took the blood of billions to produce each glass. This naming tradition did not last long, but a semblence of veneration remains today to acknowledge the symbolic nature in modern wine, representing how close Perradin came to death. The hardened workhouses used by the druids were converted into community halls among the recovered landscapes. They became richly decorated and acted as centers for farming communes and vineyards. As their size and complexity grew, they began to rival the ancient fortresses across Sinderlan, eventually becoming known as Chateaus. From these chateaus, the land flourished once again.

The Great Vinter Houses and the Rise of House Zaliavon

After the global recovery from the Starfall international demand for Ulanan wine on the rise and little aparatus to meet it, many of the small vinters across Ulana merged together, forming larger "Houses" under rich families. Eventually, several houses branded themselves as the "Great Vinter Houses of Ulana" and banded together in an alliance to dominate the trade outside Ulana in the 30th century. As they grew, they purchased the various chateaus across Ulana for use as community workhouses on their newly-acquired properties. 
This cartel of Vinter Houses effectively dominated the control of all international movement of Ulanan wine, charging exorbitant premiums and writing exploitative contracts with various Free Cities, The Didacy, and Consulate alike. They dominated the landscape, purchasing every small winery and vineyard. Eventually only ten houses remained, controlling roughly equal shares in the wine production. However, House Zaliavon rose to dominance when it ordered its serfs to attack House Haskil, wiping it out and claiming its land and vineyards as its own.
From that point, the Ulanan Wine Cartel was headed by House Zeliavon with the other Great Houses following them. Their power and wealth eclipsed that of the Duke of Ulana, only answering to edicts that came from the Monarch directly. Each Great House maintained a gargantuan chateau to house their families and display the immense wealth they held. During their centuries of dominance, the cartel did away with old tradtions such as the Day of the Bee and the Vinegar Feast. Eventually, they even suppressed worship of the gods of the region, Koinoniala, god of the community, and Kelos, god of harvests, branding them as distractions for the serfs of Ulana who worked the fields. During this time, the art of Grapple Plays became the sole source of entertainment in the region, becoming increasingly popular and far too widespread for even the Great Houses to suppress. Eventually, House Zaliavon began sponsoring the Grapple Plays in hopes that it might quell potential fomenting of dissent.

Wine Wars, Great and Small

In 4505, after a lengthy Trade War waged by the Great Vinter Houses, the recently-founded Free Cities in Cord Ea Turin waged a collective hot war on the Duchy, demanding reduced prices on the extremely in-demand wine. The conflice would become known as the First Wine War, which raged for 16 years, leaving thousands dead. Ulana and the Great Vinter Houses emerged victorious, ensuring further dominance on the wine trade. For the next four millennia, through many iterations, rises, and falls, the Great Vinter Houses pulled strings of conflict across the Free Cities, often times bringing the entire Final Kingdom into open conflict. This resulted in countless dozens of small scale Wine Wars with individual Free Cities across the ages and another Great Wine War in 7343, which included a brief large scale conflict with the Duchy of Cord Ea Lorin that many feared would cause a full scale civil war within the Kingdom. A Third Great Wine War eventually eruped in 8202, which caused

Modern Wine Industry

In 8209, following the Third Wine War, the King of Garnet Waves ordered the immediate full control of the production and export of wine to the Office of the Duke of Ulana. Additionally, every Great Vinter House was required to cede 75% of their vast properties back to the crown to be distributed to those working the fields. After this, thousands of small vineyards were formed, creating a boom in varietals and wine types. To the Great Houses, this was viewed as the end of their dominance, while those who gained these new properties viewed it as a new beginning. Over the next several centuries, the Chateaus of Ulana became havens for freedom, expression, and experimentation with wines.
This exploration brought with it a return to the old traditions that the Great Houses had pressured out of existence. The Day of the Bee became widely celebrated again, the Vinegar Feast returned to prominence in the winter months, and even worship of the gods Koinoniala, god of community, and Kelos, god of the harvest returned in major cities. Additionally, many smaller "Minor" houses rose from the dismantled properties of the Great Houses, forming new pillars of communities centered on the ancient Chateaus that had previously become workhouses under the rule of the Wine Cartel. Additionally, the quality of wine is believed to have exponentially increased after this rennaisance. During this time, Kingdom's Competitive Wrestling scene experienced a similar rennaisance as it now had an overabundance in venues and means to celebrate and express its art and sport. This spawned highly local leagues, based in new staple vineyards owned communally and locally.
For the next eight centuries, the Ulanan wine industry entered what many consider its greatest golden age. Demand remained high across the world while the Dukes of Ulana managed its production. Petitions could be made to the Duke on disputes between houses and small wineries alike on equal footing, leading to unprecedented autonomy unseen in centuries. This rapid influx of variety led to even more attention from abroad. The new stewardship of the industry under the office of the Duke led to far more prudent laws on export.
However, Ulana's export partner, the Duchy of Cord Ea Lorin, declared war on a coalition of Free Cities, dragging Ulana along with it, leading to the Fourth Great Wine War. This war proved to be extremely costly and resulted in the collapse of several companies from the Didacian Consulate. An immense war indemnity of an undisclosed amount is still being paid well into the 91st century by the Duchy of Ulana for the damage done to the Free Cities' trade industry, rumored to be paid entirely in wine. Rumors claim this has led the Duchy's wine reserves to be nonexistent and on the verge of bankruptcy. After the Fourth Wine War, the industry experienced a slump due to the immense influx of free wine to the east. Ulanan wine, while extremely valued for its quality, plummeted in price. This caused many small vineyards to go bankrupt, only to be bought out by larger minor houses or remaining Great Houses, or even abandoned altogether. By the 9040s, it was not uncommon to stumble across abandoned Chateaus that had previously been inhabited for centuries.

Modern Great and Minor Vinter Houses

Despite their reduced power by order of the Monarch and beholden to the Duke of Ulana, both Minor and Great Vinter Houses remain in existence. The Great Houses are those that remain from the ancient times when they dominated the Ulanan wine trade. While reduced in stature, the continue to control large swaths of fertile land across Ulana and make up roughly 35% of all wine produced in the Duchy combined. The Minor Houses are far greater in number and variety, of varying power and influence. It is often debated as to what criteria make a minor house, but some common metrics include net income, number of bottles produced annually, amount of land owned, and whether one's home vineyard has hosted a main season competitive wrestling match.

Great Houses

• Great House Zaliavon
• Great House Hedoban
• Great House Nuranteer
• Great House Amaryllis
• Great House Sangio
• Great House Ko
• Great House Stamor(Dead)
• Great House Liavator (Dead)
• Great House Primrose (Dead)

Minor Houses (Nonexhaustive List, Numbers in Hundreds)

• House Justinian
• House of Regis
• House Caradin
• House Porga
• House Baudet
• House Kon
• House Nardon
• House Bergamot

Primary Related Location

Sinderlan

Important Locations

• Ulanan Grasslands

Related Organizations

• Duchy of Ulana
• The Final Kingdom