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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 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>
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. Wine may have been produced not only with rice but also mixing of fruits as well to add flavor. Tartaric acid was found in clay jars, suggesting fermentation and mixture of substances. While rice wine may have developed early on, it stayed mostly in east Asia. Rice wine spread by the 1st millennium BCE to India, Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Korean Peninsula, where it is still commonly drunk today. In Africa and tropical regions of Malaysia, India, and Southeast Asia, types of Palm palm wine have been produced and are still consumed. It is not clear how old this tradition is but it does likely go back to ancient periods; European travels had observed how the wine was made and harvested in early contact periods. Palm wine can be made by collecting date palm sap and letting it ferment, where it can then be filtered to remove impurities.<ref>For more on rice and palm wine, see: Cyrus Redding, Redding. 2008. <i>History and Description of Modern Wines.</i> Place of publication not identified: Applewood Books.</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>
