Although the national drink in Egypt was beer, the grapevine, not a native plant, was cultivated at a very early time. The vineyards, often surrounded by desert, were considered real gardens, where the grapevines, supported by pergolas or climbing on trees, were sometimes grown in vases. Detailed information on the consumption and ritual use of wine comes from the tombs. Wine was, in fact, used for various purposes in the cult of the dead. Stored in jars in burial places, it was considered a means of regeneration. In some tomb paintings, mechanical devices for the second pressing of the grapes appear.