Throughout history, the humble vine has shown to have a great impact on trade and society.
From the chemical analysis of ancient wine vessels in the Middle East region, evidence has shown that the first wine, was produced way back in 2900 BC. A fable had attributed the "accidental" discovery of wine, to originate from a Persian princess. From Middle Eastern origins, winemaking and vinticulture spread to Europe at around 1600BC.
The Greeks were one of the earliest to start 'making wine'. Viticulture and wine production were highly regarded by the Greeks as an exceptional form of art - from all their myths, legends and divinities, over the ages. It was also known that the ancient Greeks have long held significant events such as the grape harvest, in honour of Dionysus (the Greek God of Wine). The most important of these festivals, was celebrated in the month of February. This is a festival, known as 'Anthesteria', which is celebrated with processions and wine-drinking contests - all done in a very religious manner. Wine became an integral part of Greek culture and life. It was used to quench one's thirst. It was regarded as medicinal. Greek doctors, likeHippocrates, prescribed it to their patients. To add some variation, the Greeks also added herbs and spices, like myrrh, absinth, anise, cardamom, and cinnamon.
In 500 BC, Greece monopolized wine commerce thoughout the whole ancient world, with increased trading activities in the Aegean Sea, the Black Sea and the Danube - believed today to be some of the busy trading routes of ancient Greek wines. To store and transport their wines, the Greeks also use a form of airtight, ceramic vessels, called amphorae. It is known that the remains of these amphorae, were found in the southern coast of France, indicating that Greece may have possibly exported their wine to France, in the olden days.
But it was the Romans who played a major role, in laying the foundation of viniculture in Europe, with the classification of grape varieties, and the identification of the different phases involved in the wine making process. Methods of charting the ripening characteristics of grapes, diseases affecting the vines and vine-and-soil matching were observed and studiously chronicled. With improved irrigation and other fertilization techniques, the quality of the harvest and the yield were improved. They were also attributed to be amongst the first to start bottling wines into bottled glass, when glass-blowing became much more readily available, during those era.
Around the first century AD, it was reported that Italy began exporting wines all over Europe - to Spain, Germany, France and England etc. Before long, these countries also started producing their own wines - with France becoming amongst the first to develop a full comprehensive establishment, thus becoming one of the major dominant force, in the wine industry today.
