Changes

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 <i>Vitis vinifera</i> are found in the eastern Mediterranean regions, stretching from Turkey, the southern Caucasus, and northern Iran. The earliest known grape 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 or method production. The wine itself was evident through 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.<ref>For more on the Neolithic innovation of wine production, see: McGovern, Patrick E. 2007. <i>Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture.</i> 4. print., 1. paperback print. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press.</ref>

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; ritual drinking of wine represented commemoration of the gods and the dead. Very likely, the alcoholic properties also gave it a mystical aspect, suggesting why it was associated with the gods. Health benefits were also likely realized, where the alcohol was known to kill harmful substances. By the 4th millennium BCE, wine from some regions began to be seen as being of high quality and sought after. The prehistoric Egyptian king Scorpion saw wine as something to be taken to the next world, where his tomb was found to contain about 700 jars filled with wine from the Levant (Israel and Lebanon).<ref>For more on early exports of wine and its use in ritual, see: Charters, Stephen. 2006. <i>Wine and Society: The Social and Cultural Context of a Drink.</i> Amsterdam ; Boston: Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann.</ref>

==Spread of Wine==

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 establish the foundations to a variety of wine types that were adapted to different climates and also create a taste for wine that lasted long after the Roman period. 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 during this time.<ref>For more on how wine spread in the Classical period, see: Estreicher, Stefan K. 2006. <i>Wine: From Neolithic Times to the 21st Century.</i> New York: Algora Pub.</ref>

==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, along with local populations having become accustomed to this Mediterranean product during the Roman period, 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 also created an important business opportunity for a variety of monastic orders, as the needs of the church created a constant and strong market. Thus, perhaps not surprisingly, the best and most prolific wine producers in the early Medieval period were different orders of monasteries, where many of these continue to make wine today. 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.<ref>For more on monastic wines, see: Simon, Joanna. 2001. <i>Wine: An Introduction.</i> 1st American ed. New York: DK Pub, pg. 18.</ref>

In the United States, the oldest continuous winery is found in New York state, which was founded by a French Huguenot settlers in 1810. Wine spread to cold regions of Canada, where specialized ice wine became developed that took advantage of short growing seasons; this type of wine developed into a very sweet wine. By 1811, settlers in Hawaii even began to grow wine in tropical conditions.<ref>For more on the history of wine growing in the United States, see: Pinney, Thomas. 2007. <i>A History of Wine in America: From the Beginnings to Prohibition.</i> Berkeley, Calif.: Univ. of California Press.</ref>

==References==