Wine started as an agricultural accident in the Caucasus and became the ancient world's most valuable cargo.
Georgia, around 6000 BC
Pottery from Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora carries tartaric acid residue — the earliest chemical evidence of grape wine. Fermentation in buried clay qvevri is still practised in Georgia today, which makes it the longest continuously used winemaking method on earth.
Greece and the amphora economy
Greeks spread vines across the Mediterranean and shipped wine in amphorae stamped with their origin — an early appellation system. Wine was routinely cut with water, and resin-sealed jars gave us retsina's ancestor. Symposia formalised drinking as a social ritual with rules about strength and order.
Rome scales it up
Romans introduced barrels (learned from Gaulish coopers), vine training, pruning theory and vintage-dated wines such as the legendary Falernian. Their legions planted vineyards along the Rhône, Mosel, Rioja and Bordeaux — the modern wine map is largely a Roman logistics map.
What ancient wine tasted like
Sweet, often oxidative, frequently flavoured with honey, herbs, seawater or resin, and stored in vessels sealed with pitch. Freshness as we prize it was impossible without airtight closures and temperature control, which is why sweetness and additives were essential rather than decorative.
- 1. Taste a qvevri or amphora wine and describe its texture without mentioning fruit.Hint: Reach for words like grippy, savoury, waxy, nutty — skin contact and clay work on texture first.
- 2. Map three modern regions back to Roman expansion routes.Hint: Follow rivers: Rhône, Mosel, Douro and Ebro all carried legions before they carried wine.
- 3. Dilute a glass of red with a third water and note what disappears.Hint: Ancient drinkers did this routinely — you lose body and warmth before you lose aroma.