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 (Figure 1). 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. Both white and red wines were likely developed at about the same time, as the main difference is in fermenting with (red wine) or without (white wine) the grape skins.

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 mostly in east Asia. Rice wine spread in the by the 1st millennium BCE to India, Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Korean Peninsula. In Africa and tropical regions of Malaysia, India, and Southeast Asia, types of Palm wine have been produced. It is not clear how old this tradition is but it does likely go back to ancient periods. Palm wine can be made by collecting date palm sap and letting it ferment, where it can then be filtered to remove impurities.

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).

Figure 1. Places where grape wine has been located from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.

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. Greek wine became well known in this period for its quality, while wine from Italy was considered more common and average wine for the masses. Wine types known to us such as chardonnay may have derived by crossing grapes Gouais blanc with Pinot noir grapes found in France.

Later Developments

After the Roman collapse in Europe, very like the culture of wine would have died as well. However, the now spiritual connection of wine with religious sacraments, kept its relevance even in regions where it did not grow well. Thus, as Christianity spread, so did wine. Northern Europe became more of a beer and ale drinking culture, due to the climate being more favorable to wheat and barley based alcoholic drinks. However, the need wine for in mass resulted in the constant need to import wine. This created an important business opportunity for a variety of monastic orders. Thus, perhaps not surprisingly, the best and most prolific wine producers in the early Medieval period were different orders of monasteries. The Benedictines, in particular, became well known wine makers, often exporting their produce to raise funds in addition to being used for sacraments. Virtual monopolies were established throughout Europe by monastic orders on wine production and trade.

After centuries of growing grapes in different parts of Europe, varieties began to form that have become some of the best known wine types today. Riesling, for instance, was a white grape variety that grew well in the Rhine Valley, which has developed their since the 15th century. Burgundy in France became well known for variety of wines, including developing Pino Gris, Pinot noir, and chablis and others that had begun to develop already by the Roman period. Chenin blanc was another white grape variety developed in Anjou (Figure 2).

In the New World, Vitis (or grape family) vines did grow, but they do not seemed to have been utilized from making wine. Although various alcoholic drinks were known to native populations in the New World, it was the Spanish that brough wine types from Europe to the New World. As shipping was still relatively poor in preserving wine quality, early Spanish explorers and settlers soon preferred to grow wine rather than import it from Europe. With wine production moving to the New World, many experiments began to make wine more adept in growing in more extreme climates found in the New World. British explorers to Australia and New Zealand also brought different grapes and since the late 18th century the wine culture in Australia and later New Zealand, although initially failing, began to be come very successful in the 19th century. Types of shiraz wine, in particular, grew well in those regions. In New Zealand, Syrah and Pinot noir grapes were among the initial successful wines that grew in the climate.

In the United States, the oldest continuous winery is found in New York state, which was founded by a French Huguenot, in 1810. Wine spread to cold regions of Canada, where specialized ice wine became developed, which is a type of sweet wine. By 1811, settlers in Hawaii even began to grow wine in tropical conditions.

Figure 2. 14th century wine pressing.

Summary

More recently in the 20th century, prohibition in the United States and other temperance movements threatened the culture of wine in different countries. However, as wine production has improved with new bottling technologies, and new types of grapes adapted to different climates developed, wine production has not ceased to expand. Although many cultures have had their own indigenous wines, such as made from rice or palm, grape wine has become the far more dominant type because grapes are more easily adapted to a wide variety of regions and its close association with European colonization. Christianity helped to spread wine across Europe and other regions, due to its role in the religious sacraments. Today, there are probably more than 10,000 varieties of grapes that can be used for wine, demonstrating the long history of experimentation with grapes that began as early as the Neolithic. The social association of wine with so many different activities, ranging from religion to healing and social gatherings, has established as central to many different cultures.