A Brief History of Wine Making

Wine is one of the oldest inventions ever known to humanity. The consumption, exchange, and sale of wine have been at the root of some philosophical and religious ideas in ancient times. Wine is typically made from grapes and fermented until it becomes alcohol. Scholars agree that domesticated stock and signs of grape processing are the two primary indicators of winemaking. By chance, wine was found to be a by-product of the natural stage of grape rot.

The Chinese have the earliest evidence of using grapes to create wine. Records have shown that grape planting and wine consumption began around 4000 BC. Mesopotamia and the Caspian Sea region saw the earliest advancements.

Moreover, several manuscripts discovered in tombs provide evidence that wine was consumed in ancient Egypt. Although the laborers drank beer during rituals, priests and nobles drank wine. However, the Egyptians created the very first arbors and trimming techniques. Sunken jars have been found at several archaeological dig sites, which led scholars to believe that ancient humans were aware of the impact of temperature on wine storage.

Georgia has the oldest wine-related artifacts in the world, dating back to 6000 BC. Also, a grape-based brew similar to wine was discovered in China as far back as 7000 BC. Meanwhile, wine was discovered in Sicily around 4000 BC while it was discovered in Iran in 5000 BC.

However, the first indication of consistent wine production dates back to Armenia, in which the oldest winery was discovered around 4100 BC. Vintners crushed grapes barefoot and collected the juice in vats for fermentation. Finding a winery is significant because it provides proof that grapes have been tamed to enable this kind of massive output.

The vast global commerce of the substance contributed to the widespread use of wine since consumers considered it a fascinating beverage. For instance, it is believed that wine first arrived in Egypt in approximately 3000 BC due to commerce with Canaan in the Levant.

Winemaking techniques and grapes were all disseminated thanks largely to the Phoenicians. The evolution of Roman and Greek wine was influenced by their large trading network throughout the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. This is made known from ancient Phoenician shipwrecks discovered with their consignment of wine still preserved. They kept wine in pottery amphoras with two grips and a conical bottom.

Modern winemaking techniques are entrenched in Greek practices. The rise of wine consumption also helped the Greek economy expand. Most significant wine-producing regions in modern-day Western Europe were founded at the height of the Roman empire. This period also saw the invention of barrels and glass bottles. Even after the fall of the Roman empire, the Roman Catholic church decided to preserve the ancient Roman winemaking method.

Winemaking is now a global art that is mostly practiced in the United States and Western European nations. Many of these nations grow particular grape varieties that are used to produce particular wines. Although the method of creating wine is still largely unchanged, it is now performed more precisely, on a greater scale, and with better equipment. The grapes that produce wine are descendants of the grapes that were carefully grown to produce the ideal fruit and were used to manufacture ancient wines.