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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(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).
[[File:Archeological sites - wine and oil (English).jpg|thumbnail|Figure 1. Places where wine has been located from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.]]
==Spread of Wine==
