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→Early Development
Wild grapes <i>Vitis vinifera</i> 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. Tartaric acid was also found in clay jars. Whie rice wine stayed relatively confined to east Asia, grape wine began to spread along the Mediterranean basin in the 5th-4th millennium BCE.
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
==Spread of Wine==
