Wine, Where To Start?

The History of Wine

Wine, a fantastic product, created thousands of years ago with evidence that the origins were somewhere In Asia. 

Archaeology shows that it was produced 6000 BC in the area know as Georgia. There is also evidence coming from Sicily and Iran from 4000 BC to 5000 BC. There have also been finds in Lebanon and Greece dating back to 4500 BC and 5000 BC. Armenia has a history with wine, even dating to 4100BC. There is reason to believe that wine formed the part of religious acts and worship revolving around Greece and Romans.

Wine was consumed as part of Jewish rituals dating back a long way in time. Consumption of wine ritually was part of Jewish practice. Islam refrained from indulging in the making or drinking wine.

Back further

It was not until the fifteenth century that wine increased in consumption. This was part of European influences. In the nineteenth century, a devastating disease attacked the crops, and wine evolution started. Wine production was industrialized. Further back to the Bronze age, the evidence is overwhelming winemaking was heavily followed.

How did it start?

It is thought that the idea came when foragers picked berries and left them in a container. The fruit fermented and left a liquor in the bottom of the vessel. This began to turn the sugar into alcohol, and so the wine industry was born. Somewhere around 8000 BC, agriculture started to develop, and so did the cultivation of plants and trees, leading to higher yields. Up to then, grapes and other fruits grew wild.

When earthenware was produced, it became much easier to make and store wine.

Countries

Interestingly the beginning of wine fermentation was found in China around 7000 BC. Developed production was first found in Armenia. A tree type resin was used to seal the vessels and therefore preserve and mature the wine.

Armenia lends itself to the title of the home of the oldest known winery. This is near the town of Areni. Found in a cave. This housed a press and seeds fro the everyday grape, vessels, and more. It is thought that Persian Kings were brought wine as gifts, which was highly prized.

The near east was awash with grapevines and wine, and with its excellent climate came quality, and varieties of wine were produced. Egypt was a central place for wine production.

The book of Genesis in the Bible mentions winemaking. Some people believe the legend that Persia realized the intoxicating effect of wine, but who knows? The 4th century BC saw wine dominant in ceremonies in ancient Egypt. Wine played a part in the afterlife, with evidence shown on walls.

Red wine predominated and a trendy style made from Pomegranate Phoenicians were thought to have spread their knowledge of winemaking to the Mediterranean regions due to their trading networks.

The Greeks & Romans

The Greeks mixed some of their wine with saltwater. No doubt, this led to more drinking.

Retsina, a very well known Greek drink, was flavored with tree resin giving it,s distinct aroma. The greeks are credited with introducing wine to Italy, France, and Spain.A bronze vessel was found in China, dating back to 1600 BC to 1046BC. When Rome embraced wine, it is though from evidence found, that during the 1st century BC, there were vast swathes of alcoholism and drunkenness leading to all sorts of issues.

It should be remembered that wine was not made from grapes alone. Many other plants and flowers were used together with honey wine. Alchemists started to produce the first distilled wines. So it became seriously widespread produced in monasteries as Mead and Brandy.

The wine started in the Americas when the Spanish took wines to Mexico.

France suffered severely in the 19th century with a widespread plague, which led to the destruction of immense amounts of vines. Varieties were lost. There was a purge on landowners who did not adhere to a scrupulous examination of how they grew their grapes. Those that failed the test were not allowed to continue and the land used for other purposes. These generally were used for food production from animals.

The New World

We should not forget the New World countries. Australia, New Zealand, California, and others producing excellent drinkable wines, some say, are better than some of the old producing countries. I leave that to you to try and decide for yourself

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