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Benden wine was famous for being the best wine on Pern. It was produced in Benden Hold, which had best type of slopes for growing grapes.

Benden wines came in a wide range, from white to fruit and ice wines. Benden wines were identified by vintage and were labeled with the name of the Mastervintner and the year of their career that the wine was pressed. Certain wines were kept in storage for years and released only for special occasions. Benden wines were considered superior to Tillek wines, and the two halls shared a friendly rivalry. Tillek occasionally attempted to send spies to learn Benden's secrets, but none were successful.

Benden wines were pressed in large stone tubs, often by apprentices. The maturing wines were then kept in vats made from the cleaned fuel tanks of the three colony ships. The air-tight nature of these tanks were said to be the secret to the quality of Benden wines. Once extracted from the vats, the wines were kept in a variety of ceramic and glass bottles or barrels. The secrets to producing Benden wine were usually only given to a Mastervintner's successor at the last possible moment, sometimes while the current Master was on their deathbed. As a result, some secrets were lost over the years due to premature or unexpected deaths.

History[]

First Pass[]

Benden's winemaking was started by Rene Mallibeau, who became the first Mastervintner. He originally started in Landing but later chose Benden as a site due to the area having the shale necessary for grapes as well as the large cave system to store wine. Rene was responsible for having the fuel tanks cleaned and repurposed as wine vats.

Ninth Pass[]

Masterharper Robinton was renowned for being able to tell the vintage of a glass of Benden wine without looking at the label. The Mastervintner of that time period, Gorton, kept a special supply aside for Robinton's enjoyment. Robnton's affinity for Benden wines was a factor in his survival of a heart attack at Ista Weyr, in addition to the dragons keeping him awake.