Who Invented Wine?

Origin of Wine

Wine is a fermented drink, usually made from grapes. It is thought by scholars that it originated in 6,000-3,000 BC between the Nile and the Persian Gulf, in the territories of modern Iran and Georgia. How exactly man invented wine is unknown. But it may have happened by accident when wild yeast fermented the grapes that men stored as food. What is certain is man has known about wine making for a long time. Wall paintings and other archeological evidence prove it.


An interesting Persian tale explains the invention of wine as follows: A melancholy princess had a falling out with her father, the king. She tried to kill herself by drinking what she thought was spoiled grape juice. The drink knocked her unconscious, but it didn’t kill her. When the princess woke up, she was in a much happier mood. She resumed drinking the same grape juice and was so amiable that she and her father soon made up. Regardless of the truth of this story, the Persians did make excellent wine. Some of the best varieties of grape today are thought to have evolved from Persia.


Over time wine spread throughout the Mediterranean and Europe via trade. The Egyptians imported their grapes from the Phoenicians. They learned to raise white grapes in the fertile region of the Nile delta. The kind of grape used was most likely a white grape called Muscat native to Alexandria.

 

Europe probably got their first taste of wine through the Phoenicians as well. The Phoenicians were a nation of sea-traveling merchants. They helped spread the knowledge of wine making across the Mediterranean and Europe, especially Greece and Rome.


Wine played a very special part in religious ceremonies and rituals in the ancient world. The Egyptians associated the drink with Osiris and used them in their funeral rites. The Greeks attributed the influence of wine to Dionysius. Also called Bacchus, he was the god wine, inspiration and Greek drama.


The Romans had a lot to do with the refinement of wine making. It was they who discovered that aged wine is superior to young wine. They would store theirs in wooden barrels and seal their bottles with cork. The Romans drank wine in almost every meal. But the drink was stronger than modern beverages. They often mixed them with honey, water, spices, herbs, salt and even chalk.


Wine making suffered in Islamic territories where liquor was banned. Demand for wine also decreased in the Christian world. But monks throughout Europe still raised grapes and kept detailed records of their gardening. These records helped vineyard owners to choose the best grapes for their soil. Today wines are either made or sold throughout the world as a relaxing and cheering adult drink.