| Wine residue has been identified by
| |
| | clay amphorae from Pharaoh Tutankhamun's
|
| Patrick McGovern's team at the University
| |
| | tomb yielded traces of white wine. [7]
|
| Museum, Pennsylvania, in ancient pottery
| |
| | Ancient Greece
|
| jars. Records include ceramic jars from
| |
| | Much modern wine culture derives from the
|
| the Neolithic sites at Shulaveri, of
| |
| | practices of the ancient Greeks; while
|
| present-day Georgia (about 6000 BC) ,
| |
| | the exact arrival of wine in Greek
|
| Hajji Firuz Tepe in the Zagros Mountains
| |
| | territory is unknown, it was known to
|
| of present-day Iran (5400-5000 BC) and
| |
| | both the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures.
|
| from Late Uruk (3500-3100 BC) occupation
| |
| | [8] Dionysos was the Greek god of wine
|
| at the site of Uruk, in Mesopotamia . The
| |
| | and revelry, and wine was frequently
|
| identifications are based on the
| |
| | referred to in the works of Homer and
|
| identification of tartaric acid and
| |
| | Aesop. In Homeric myths wine is usually
|
| tartrate salts using a form of infrared
| |
| | served in "mixing bowls", in which strong
|
| spectroscopy (FT-IR). These
| |
| | wine was diluted (presumably with water)
|
| identifications are regarded with caution
| |
| | in order to serve a large number of
|
| by some biochemists because of the risk
| |
| | people.
|
| of false positives, particularly where
| |
| | Roman Empire
|
| complex mixtures of organic materials,
| |
| | The Roman Empire had an immense impact on
|
| and degradation products, may be present.
| |
| | the development of viticulture and
|
| The identifications have not yet been
| |
| | oenology. Wine was an integral part of
|
| replicated in other laboratories.
| |
| | the Roman diet and wine making became a
|
| In his book Ancient Wine: The Search for
| |
| | precise business.
|
| the Origins of Viniculture (Princeton:
| |
| | As the Roman Empire expanded, wine
|
| Princeton University Press, 2003),
| |
| | production in the provinces grew to the
|
| McGovern argues that the domestication of
| |
| | point the provinces were competing with
|
| the Eurasian wine grape and winemaking
| |
| | Roman wines. Virtually all of the major
|
| could have originated on the territory of
| |
| | wine producing regions of Western Europe
|
| modern Georgia and Armenia and spread
| |
| | today were established by the Romans. But
|
| south from there.
| |
| | it was the region of Lusitania(Portugal)
|
| In Iran (Persia), mei (the Persian wine)
| |
| | that was distinguished by the Romans for
|
| has been a central theme of their poetry
| |
| | its properties, hence the name Lusitania
|
| for more than a thousand years, although
| |
| | comes from the name of the god Bacchus or
|
| alcohol is strictly forbidden in Islam.
| |
| | Lyssa/Lusus.
|
| Little is actually known of the
| |
| | Wine making technology improved
|
| prehistory of wine. It is plausible that
| |
| | considerably during the time of the Roman
|
| early foragers and farmers made alcoholic
| |
| | Empire. Many grape varieties and
|
| beverages from wild fruits, including
| |
| | cultivation techniques were known.
|
| wild grapes (Vitis silvestris). This
| |
| | Barrels were developed for storing and
|
| would have become easier following the
| |
| | shipping wine. Bottles were used for the
|
| development of pottery vessels in the
| |
| | first time and the early developments of
|
| later Neolithic of the Near East, about
| |
| | an appellation system formed as certain
|
| 9000 years ago. However, wild grapes are
| |
| | regions gained reputations for fine wine.
|
| small and sour, and relatively rare at
| |
| | Once the Roman Empire fell around 500 CE,
|
| archaeological sites. It is unlikely they
| |
| | Europe went into a period known as the
|
| could have been the basis of a wine
| |
| | Dark Ages. This was a period of invasions
|
| industry.
| |
| | and social turmoil. The only stable
|
| Domesticated grapes were abundant in the
| |
| | social structure was the Catholic Church.
|
| Near East from the beginning of the Early
| |
| | Through the Church, the grape growing and
|
| Bronze Age, starting in 3200 BC. There is
| |
| | wine making technology was preserved
|
| also increasingly abundant evidence for
| |
| | during this period.
|
| wine making in Sumeria and Egypt in the
| |
| | Medieval Europe
|
| third millennium BC. The ancient Chinese
| |
| | In medieval Europe wine was consumed by
|
| made wine from native wild "mountain
| |
| | the church and the noble and merchant
|
| grapes" like Vitis thunbergii [5] for a
| |
| | classes, ale being the drink of the
|
| time, until they imported domesticated
| |
| | general populace. Wine was necessary for
|
| grape seeds from Central Asia in the
| |
| | the celebration of the Catholic Mass, and
|
| second century BC. Grapes were, of
| |
| | so assuring a supply was crucial. The
|
| course, also an important food. There is
| |
| | Benedictine monks became one of the
|
| scant evidence for earlier domestication
| |
| | largest producers of wine in France and
|
| of grape, in the form of grape pips from
| |
| | Germany, followed closely by the
|
| Chalcolithic Tell Shuna in Jordan, but
| |
| | Cistercians. Other orders, such as the
|
| this evidence remains unpublished.
| |
| | Carthusians, the Templars, and the
|
| Exactly where wine was first made is
| |
| | Carmelites, are also notable both
|
| still unclear. It could have been
| |
| | historically and modernly as wine
|
| anywhere in the vast region, stretching
| |
| | producers. The Benedictines held
|
| from Spain to Central Asia, where wild
| |
| | vineyards in Champagne, (Dom Perignon was
|
| grapes grow. However, the first
| |
| | a Benedictine monk), Burgundy, and
|
| large-scale production of wine must have
| |
| | Bordeaux in France and in the Rheingau
|
| been in the region where grapes were
| |
| | and Franconia in Germany; indeed, they
|
| first domesticated, Southern Caucasus and
| |
| | were the first to plant Riesling grapes
|
| the Near East. Wild grapes grow in
| |
| | in Germany. Though they did not originate
|
| Georgia, northern Levant, coastal and
| |
| | viticulture in these areas, they made it
|
| southeastern Turkey, northern Iran or
| |
| | into an industry, producing enough wine
|
| Armenia. None of these areas can, as yet,
| |
| | to ship it all over Europe for secular
|
| be definitively singled out, despite
| |
| | use. In Portugal, a country with one of
|
| persistent suggestions that Georgia is
| |
| | the oldest wine traditions, the first
|
| the birthplace of wine.
| |
| | appelation system in the world was
|
| Ancient Egypt
| |
| | created.
|
| In Ancient Egypt, wine played an
| |
| | A housewife of the merchant class or a
|
| important role in ceremonial life. A
| |
| | servant in a noble household would have
|
| thriving royal winemaking industry was
| |
| | served wine at every meal, and had a
|
| established in the Nile Delta following
| |
| | selection of reds and whites alike. Home
|
| the introduction of grape cultivation
| |
| | recipes for meads from this period are
|
| from the Levant to Egypt c. 3000 BC. The
| |
| | still in existence, along with recipes
|
| industry was most likely the result of
| |
| | for spicing and disguising off flavors in
|
| trade between Egypt and Canaan during the
| |
| | wines, including the simple act of adding
|
| Early Bronze Age, commencing from at
| |
| | a small amount of honey to the wine. As
|
| least the Third Dynasty (2650 – 2575
| |
| | wines were kept in barrels, they were not
|
| BC), the beginning of the Old Kingdom
| |
| | extensively aged, and therefore were
|
| period (2650 – 2152 BC). Winemaking
| |
| | drunk quite young. To offset the effects
|
| scenes on tomb walls, and the offering
| |
| | of heavy consumption of alcohol, wine was
|
| lists that accompanied them, included
| |
| | frequently watered down at a ratio of
|
| wine that was definitely produced at the
| |
| | four or five parts water to one of wine.
|
| deltaic vineyards. By the end of the Old
| |
| | Wine in the New World
|
| Kingdom, five wines, all probably
| |
| | Grapes and wheat were first brought to
|
| produced in the Delta, constitute a
| |
| | what is now Latin America by the first
|
| canonical set of provisions, or fixed
| |
| | Spanish conquistadores to provide the
|
| "menu," for the afterlife. The advent of
| |
| | necessities of the Catholic Holy
|
| wine in Europe was the work of the Greeks
| |
| | Eucharist. Planted at Spanish missions,
|
| who spread the art of grape-growing and
| |
| | one variety came to be known as the
|
| winemaking in Ancient Greek and Roman
| |
| | Mission grapes and are still planted
|
| times.
| |
| | today in small amounts. Succeeding waves
|
| Wine in ancient Egypt was predominantly
| |
| | of immigrants imported French, Italian
|
| red. A recent discovery, however, has
| |
| | and German grapes although wine from
|
| revealed the first ever evidence of white
| |
| | grapes native to the Americas is also
|
| wine in ancient Egypt. Residue from five
| |
| | produced.
|
