Where and when was wine first made?
Wine is enjoyed in many areas of the world, and most cultures have their own legends about how it was first made
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Archaeology could show that wine storage and making equipment was in use in many areas of the Middle East well before 4000 BC.
A recent genetic study of modern grape varieties showed that they all descended from a wild grape variety native to the Caucasus Mountains. The study gave a tentative date for the divergence of wild and domestic grapes of about 9000 BC.
The oldest direct evidence for wine drinking comes from Georgia where a wine-stained shard of pottery dating to about 6000 BC has been found. The oldest winery was found in the Areni Cave in Armenia and consisted of a press, fermentation tanks and storage jars that dated to 4100 BC.
It is said that wine improves with age. How do you think a 6,000-year-old vintage tastes?
