How Did Wine Develop

Wine, today, is not simply a beverage but it is linked with religion, cooking, feasting, and our forms of social gatherings. The history of wine also shows it has long been associated with human societies since the early development of agriculture and early domestication of grapes at about 8,000 years ago in the Near East. Since then, wine has become spread on all major continents human societies have spread to.

Early Development

Wild grapes Vitis vinifera are found in the eastern Mediterranean regions, stretching from Turkey, the southern Caucasus, and northern Iran. The earliest known wine production is found in northern Iran, the site of Hajji Faruz, a site that dates between 6000-5500 BCE. From evidence, it seems this early wine used terebinth as a form of preservative, similar to Greek wine Retsina that is still drunk today. This would suggest that Retsina wine is the oldest known wine type. The wine itself was made evident by residue of tartaric acid, a substance commonly found in grape wine. In China, residue of rice-based wine, perhaps even earlier than wine found in the Near East, has been found. However, other possibilities, rather than a fermented drink, cannot be ruled out. Tartaric acid was found in clay jars, suggesting fermentation. While rice wine may have developed early on, it stayed relatively confined to east Asia.

Already in its early development, wine became associated with ritual consumption based on the context of some archaeological finds. This includes being used for libations to gods and the dead. Very likely, the alcoholic properties also gave it a mystical aspect. By the 4th millennium BCE, wine from some regions began to be seen as being of high quality and sought after. In the prehistoric Egyptian king Scorpion, the tomb found contained about 700 jars filled with wine from the Levant (Israel and Lebanon).

Spread of Wine

Pips from wild grape varieties have been found in Greece about 12,000 years ago. However, domesticated grapes and wine making arrived by 4000 BCE. By this time, platforms for crushing grapes have been found. Wine from Byblos and other Phoenician cities in the eastern coast of the Mediterranean began to spread widely by the 3rd millennium BCE, traded across the region. Wine made from domesticated grapes began to spread throughout the Mediterranean most likely due to Phoenician traders. Wine now became spread to North Africa and Southern Europe. With the spread of wine, specific regions began to be associated with better quality wine. Armenia, in particular, began to be associated with high quality wine, where gifts of wine from Armenia were renown. In the Achaemenid period, in the 5th century BCE, gifts of wine were shown to be given to the Persian king.

To help spread wine, not only did seafaring have to develop so that it could more easily reach distant regions, but preservation techniques were needed. Wine can easily turn to vinegar if not properly sealed. The Phoenicians used olive oil to seal containers so that it could be more easily transported across the Mediterranean as their ships were dispatched. Eventually, grapes were also brought and regions along southern Europe became good growing areas for grapes.

In the Roman period, wine began to spread to more northerly regions in Gaul (France), Germany, and even Britain. Greek colonists had already brought wine to parts of Europe by the 600s BCE. However, the spread of wine by the Roman period helped laid the foundations to a variety of wine taps that were adapted to different climates. Some climates, such as in Britain, were more difficult for growing grapes, but the importation of wine became more common, acculturating the population to wine consumption.