Kvass

Kvass is a traditional Slavic and Baltic fermented beverage commonly made from black or regular rye bread. The colour of the bread used contributes to the colour of the resulting drink. It is classified as a non-alcoholic drink by Russian standard, as the alcohol content from fermentation is typically less than 1.2%. Generally, the alcohol content is low (0.5–1.0%). It may be flavoured with fruits such as strawberries and raisins, or with herbs such as mint.

It is especially popular in Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine, but also well-known throughout Estonia and Poland, as well as in other states such as Georgia, Kazakhstan and Armenia. Many kvass vendors sell the drink there in the streets. Kvass is also popular in Harbin and Xinjiang, China, where Russian culture has had an influence.

Terminology

The word "Kvass" is derived from Old Church Slavonic квасъ from Proto-Slavic *kvasъ ("leaven", "fermented drink") and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European base kwat. Today the words used are almost the same: in Belarusian: квас, kvas; Chinese: 格瓦斯/克瓦斯, géwǎsī/kèwǎsī; Latvian: kvass; Polish kwas chlebowy (bread kvass); Russian: квас, kvas; in Ukrainian: квас/хлібний квас/сирівець, kvas/khlibny kvas/syrivets. Except Lithuanian: gira, which means beverage similar to Latvian dzira. In Estonian: kali, which means "leaven".

Girò

Girò is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown on Sardinia and used mostly in the production of fortified wines in the Giro di Cagliari Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC). The grape was once widely planted throughout Sardinia but its plantings were decimated when the phylloxera epidemic hit the island at the end of the nineteenth century. At the turn of the 21st century there were 552 hectares (1,364 acres) of the grape planted throughout Italy, mostly in the Sardinian provinces of Cagliari and Oristano.

Origins

Wine historians and ampelographers have speculated that the grape has Spanish origins and may have been introduced to the island when it was ruled by the Crown of Aragon. One theory suggest that the grape was brought to Sardinian around the same time that Mazuelo, Graciano and Pascale were introduced.

Relationship to other grapes

In ampelographical text, Girò is often listed as the same variety as Albaranzeuli nero. However while recent DNA profiling has determined that Girò is likely a parent of the Sardinian wine grape Albaranzeuli bianco, the exact relationship between Albaranzeuli Nero and Girò is not yet clear.

Gira (disambiguation)

Gira might refer to: