A Short but Interesting History of Wine
Did you know that the English word “wine” comes from the Latin word vinum, reminding us of its paramount importance to the everyday life of the ancient Romans, who laid the foundations of modern-day wine culture, and the wine industry. Yet, wine predates the Roman Empire, not by centuries but by millennia. Wine is a drink rich in variety and flavour. It can last for years, decades, and even centuries. Wine has enormous symbolic importance and was essential to many religious ceremonies for thousands of years.
Did you know that the history of wine begins not in Europe but in Asia? Archaeological evidence indicates that wine was first produced in China around 9000 BCE. However, it was much different than our present-day beverage, as ancient Chinese wine was made with grapes, fermented rice, and honey. Two thousand years later, the seeds of what became the European winemaking tradition began in western Asia, in Iran. In Europe, the first evidence for domesticated grapes comes from the Southern Caucasus, the area occupied by present-day Armenia and Georgia.
In 2016, archaeologists discovered the world’s oldest winery in Armenia, dating to 4100 BCE. Among the material found in a cave were a drinking bowl and cup, a grape press, and fermentation jars. The grape juice made from Vitis vinifera, was buried underground for winter, allowing it to ferment and produce wine. According to research, the final product was like an unfiltered red wine, and would have tasted like Merlot. This wine from Armenia was also the first known beverage used in religious ceremonies, as the cave was once a burial ground.
Did you know that the Greeks were the ones that made wine accessible to everyone. Usually reserved for the rich and influential, the Greeks made wine widely available. No longer restricted to the upper classes, wine reflected Greek democracy. It became a staple of everyday life, for everyone from kings to commoners. Even slaves drank it. However, wine could still mark social distinctions; with the best homegrown wines and foreign imports were reserved for the rich.
Ancient Greece was the first place that had different wine-producing regions. Philosophers and other participants at social gatherings where important matters would be discussed drank wine to achieve clarity of mind. However, the ancient Greeks did not drink pure wine as we do nowadays. Instead, they mixed it with water. Drunkenness was frowned upon and only uncivilized barbarians would drink just wine!
Excerpts from 9 Facts about History of Wine you didn’t Know by Vedran Bileta, MA in Late Antique, Byzantine, and Early Modern History, BA in History published in The Collector on 19 Jan 2023
