Wine has not always been the amazing product that it currently is. It has gone through several changes over the years. This is due to all of the different cultures that have adopted, loved and improved it over the millennia.
Wine making historians believe wine making to date back to around 4000 BC. It originated in the cradle of civilization, also known as the fertile crescent. This is now modern-day Iraq. The two rivers of the Tigris and Euphrates helped to create a growing condition where wine was first discovered and crafted.
From the middle east, wine then was adopted by Egyptian people who improved it by creating new systems of irrigation and fertilization that improved crop yield and quantity. The ancient Egyptians also created hybrid grapes that were better suited for the conditions of Egypt’s arid landscape. The Egyptian people used wine in their ceremonies and it was drank mostly by the upper class while lower class people preferred beer instead.
The wine making process also traveled north to the Greek and Roman cultures who not only embraced it but named one of their gods after this treasured drink. The Romans named their god of win Bacchus. They would also spread the knowledge of winemaking throughout the rest of Europe as they conquered it.
Once the Romans headed into what is now present-day Britain, it was picked up be the Gaels who improved on it by ageing their wines in wooden barrels to add a distinct flavor to it.
The Romans also spread their wonderful technology to the Spanish people who in turn carried the wine making knowledge to central and South America Where they would plant vineyards and grow and produce their own wine products.
Wine would also travel into ancient China shortly after the Han Dynasty around 200 BC. Wine grapes were imported into and cultivated there ever since. Because of the commonality of rice in that country, rice wine is still the preferred drink of choice.
During the middle ages, wine making history shows that improvements were made to wine by members of the catholic church. These improvements included records about their wine production and guides about how to make it and improve upon their already wonderful drink. It was the order of Benedictine monks that would be France and Germany’s largest producers of wine. During this period, wine was also discovered to have curative properties against snake bites.
It was during the middle ages that the French also made improvement to wine making.
The English and French pilgrims brought this product with them into the new world. The new world being North America where it flourished and has become the refined version that it is today.
Wine making has improved greatly over the past century because of improvements in sanitation. This has helped to keep the wine for longer periods of time and ensures that almost every batch will turn out the way it is supposed to and not turn into vinegar due to bacterial contamination.
Wine and the wine making process has had a history that has lasted nearly eight thousand years. During its lifetime it has been vastly improved, honored and even worshiped. There is no way of knowing what the future of wine entails, but what ever that might be, this drink is here to stay. wine tours Willamette Valley