The story of wine since 3500 B.C.

Here is an interesting little article on the history of wine. I also remember reading something awhile back which stated there was reference to mead in prehistoric "caveman" days where honey dripped into puddles and fermented. A little bit muddy for my tastes but back then they figured it was some nectar from the gods.... Kinda makes sense in a caveman sort of way.



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Source: sthelenastar.com

The origins of wine are clouded in prehistory.

The grape from which wine is best made, Vitis vinifera, originated in what is today the disputed land between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the wild grape there having the additional name of silvestris. The wine, made from that grape, was probably insipid, especially as compared with today’s wines.

More solid evidence was discovered at an archeological dig, called Godin Tepe in what is now modern Iran. Archeologists discovered a 3500 B.C. ceramic vessel that held reddish crystals. These resembled the tartrate crystals which are found today on the bottom of many corks of wine bottles. They came from the wild grape sylvestris, which still grows there today and which ferments overnight.

One theory about wine making is that a Neolithic man made grape juice from wild grapes, forgot it or left it alone for awhile, then tasted it: “Praise the gods; I am tasting heaven!”

Another theory is that it was a development of previous knowledge. Archeology has evidence that mead or honey wine and beer existed prior to wine, made from grapes. And the people of the time applied their knowledge of fermentation to grape juice.

In time, the knowledge of wine making and domestication of the wild grape spread around the Caspian Sea, Black Sea, and Mediterranean Sea, and eventually all over the world. Egyptian hieroglyphic depicts feasts with wine. Homer refers frequently to wine in his Iliad and Odyssey. The roots for the word enology, the study of wine, come from the Greek, oinos meaning wine, and logos meaning study.

The Romans spread the culture of wine and viticulture all over their known world — from their word for wine, vinum we get the many words like vine and vineyard. The Bible, both Old and New Testament, discusses wine. Many religions, both ancient and modern, have adopted wine as part of their rituals.

Pottery of many ancient cultures depicts aspects of wine. In time many lands cultivated their own grapes by cross pollination, grafting and individual agricultural methods.

Today, most of the people in varying lands throughout the world drink wine and have vineyards, and produce their wines from their own unique varietals.

The early American colonists did not have much interest in wine. An exception was Thomas Jefferson, who tried to grow European grapes at Monticello.

Prohibition was an indication of the way the American citizen viewed wine. However, after the repeal of Prohibition, the citizenry of the United States began to take an interest in wine, slowly but increasingly. That was the era of jug wines when wines of the same color were mixed together with no indication of the varietal and given the name of a district in Europe. Today the name of Burgundy or Chablis or Champagne and similar district names can be used only by those districts in Europe with a few exceptions.

In the late ‘30s and early ‘40s, varietals began to be the vogue. Wineries began to be interested in the grape as a varietal. Also, the maxim was white for fish and poultry, and red for red meat.

Today, the majority of the populace has reached a new sophistication. Wineries and vineyards exist in all 50 states. Wineries produce both varietals and special blends of wines, which people enjoy. Wine is recognized as a food, and like all foods, the individual matches all the foods so that they blend into a pleasing taste. And even that rule can be set aside for the person who prefers one wine for all his or her meals. Wine like all else in life follows the Latin saying: “De gustibus non disputandum est.” Freely translated, it is, “One does not argue about taste.”