October 16, 2024

Where Did Wine Come From?

The answer is complicated and unresolved, but here is what science and archaeological findings can tell us so far.

Wine is among the most ancient of human traditions—connecting us across countries and cultures and civilizations. Technologies have dramatically evolved, but the basic underlying principles of wine production remain unchanged since antiquity. Still, how did wine come to be?

Archaeologists, anthropologists, chemists, historians, and wine experts continue to debate an answer to that lofty question. Here is what we know.

How Was Wine Discovered?

There exist several competing ideas as to why and how the very first wines were created, leading to the domestication of the grapevine. One leading example is the Paleolithic hypothesis. According to the theory, early hunter-gatherers during the Paleolithic era would have scoured the forest in search of food. Vines, by nature, are prolific climbers, wrapping themselves around trees reaching toward the forest’s canopy and the sunlight. (Arboreal viticulture of this design is still performed today and is notably an important tradition in Bolivia.) Humans would readily notice the vine’s fruit, harvesting the clusters.

Arboreal Viticulture - Jardin Oculto Winery

En route back to the hunter-gatherers’ settlements, the berries would split under the pressure of their own weight. Juice would flow to the bottom of whatever transportation vessels were used, and ambient yeasts would begin the work of fermenting the natural sugars into alcohol. When the vessels were emptied and the berries consumed, the hunter-gatherers would find the liquid and, with curiosity, taste these crudest of wines. Their deliciousness (and perhaps their inebriating effects) would eventually inspire the humans to replicate the process, and with the advent of agriculture, cultivate the vine.

Where Was The First Wine Made?

Finding the precise origin of the very first wine is an impossible task. While the Paleolithic hypothesis is a logical explanation for how wine was first made, it does not pinpoint any one place in the vast swath of land where the grapevine is endemic. It is highly likely that the beginnings of wine evolved concurrently in different communities. Indeed, the earliest archaeological evidence for wine has been uncovered in wildly disparate locales.

The oldest potential traces of wine come from eastern China’s Henan province. Residues of a fermented liquid have been dated to 7,000 BCE—an extraordinary 9,000 years ago. Nevertheless, chemists are unable to decipher if these residues come from grapes or haws (harvested from hawthorn trees). More convincing is the 6,000 year-old winemaking facilities discovered in the Republic of Georgia. There, grapes harvested from wild vines were methodically fermented, making Georgia home to the oldest continuous tradition of wine production. In 2017, archaeologists found wine residue from 4,000 BCE on ceramic jars in a cave near Sicily’s Monte Kronio. The discovery placed winegrowing in Italy earlier than previously theorized.

Old Chinese Wine Vessels

Interested in learning more about ancient and modern Chinese wine production? Discover here!

Ancient Egyptian Wine Amphoras

The Journey of Vinifera

Although the location of the first wine cannot be determined, scientific findings suggest that the most important species of grape, Vitis vinifera, is indeed native to the Caucasus—somewhere around Georgia, Armenia, or Eastern Turkey. Of the world’s 10,000 different grape varieties, approximately 6,000 of them are of the vinifera species. These include everything from famous names like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon to Karmrahyut, Moschofilero, and Fetească Neagră. While not all fine wine is made from vinifera, the vast majority is yielded from its cultivars.