Divinhara - Plum Wine (di·ʋɛn·hɑ·ra)

"You can tell a lot about a person by their divinhara."

Theoli Proverb

Given the prevalence of plums in Theoli culture and produce, it's no surprise that the manufacturing of alcoholic beverages involving plums is also very popular. There are, however, significant regional differences in production and serving that often provoke lengthy debates among travelers and startle the unprepared.

Orellia

There is nothing Theolin produces that Orellia does not consume. While a modified statement from the revolution's propaganda, in this case, it holds true. However, the transport of fresh plums from the region for fermentation and a desire to remove the uptick in price, financiers in Orellia have found workarounds to the processes favored in Theolin. A plum wine ordered in Orellia is likely not a wine at all - rather, it's often a clear or base liquor infused with the fruit after fermentation.
Many Theoli find the idea offensive and soulless, given fermentation is usually a community or family affair.

Areodvasra

Settlements in Theolin's 'Bread Basket' region have embraced the intertwining of magic in their food preparation. While magic is rarely used in the actual growth of the produce, fermentation, or distillation, it is often used to chill the glasses the wine is served in. Alternatively, and recently popular, is the freezing of smaller fruits such as cherries or grapes to float in the wine.
A variety of plum types are fermented to make different types of wine in Areodvasra, in a variety of methods each individual producer may well swear by. However, to have a 'Vasra wine' in other regions is typically taken to mean a wine made of unripe and green plums served cold.

Irridow Bay

Around Stillwater and the rest of Irridow Bay plum wine is almost exclusively produced with mature plums. Wine is also expected to have been aged for a minimum of three years, and to serve anything younger is considered to be a 'less potent' brew meant for children, the elderly, or those with light constitutions. It is worth noting that actual plum juice is considered a perfectly acceptable alternative if someone doesn't wish to imbibe, meaning collective public opinion seems to be to 'make up [one's] mind.'
A further addition is that some sort of bread based food is almost always offered alongside the wine. While it may be no more than a few crackers or slices of untoasted, unadorned bread, to not offer anything is seen as an insult that roughly equals wishing for the individual(s) drinking to wind up 'washing the wine down with seawater,' or otherwise drowning due to intoxication.

Hariad Mountains

Alcohol is a rarity in Hariadi cuisine. Some scholars speculate that this may be due to scarcity in the region in times past, leaving few supplies to experiment with alcohol, or perhaps the danger of living in an area rife with sudden cliffs. Regardless, the Hariadi do have their own version of plum wine - after a fashion. 'Riad Wine' is only slightly alcoholic, being produced by smoking sour plums prior to their fermenting. Riad wine is also often only left for approximately a week before being considered prime for consumption, and may be mixed with a variety of additives. Unlike other variations, it is sometimes served warm.
However different Riad wine may be from its Irridow and Vasra contemporaries, it is still considered more acceptable by Theoli at large than the Orelli interpretation.

Item type

Consumable, Food / Drink