Humans Have Been Drinking Wine for 8000 Years

Georgian Wine Is the Oldest?

Researchers are always on the lookout to learn more about the lifestyle followed by ancient humans. This includes understanding their eating habits and beverage preferences. Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeological Project Expedition (GRAPE) is a collaborative project that aims to explore Georgian grape and wine culture. In 2017, the expedition found evidence of ancient jars coated with chemical evidence of winemaking, Newsweek reported. This evidence implies that winemaking became a part of human civilization around 8,000 years ago, nulling the previously believed assertion, that winemaking entered human lifestyle around 5400 and 5000 B.C

The GRAPE Mission

Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeology Project Expedition (GRAPE) was put into place by the University of Toronto and the Georgian National Museum to understand more about wine culture in the Republic of Georgia, Newsweek reported. The expedition mainly focused on the Caucasus region, for their exploration. The group's inaugural season was 2016 when they started their excavations at Neolithic sites in the Kvemo Kartli Region. Throughout the years, the expedition has recovered evidence of winemaking from 6,000 – 5800 BCE with excavations in places like Shulaveris Gora. They are going through spots like Gadachrili, Shulavaeri, and Imiris Gora to find more proof of winemaking.

Georgia is Home to Over 500 Varieties of Wine

In 2017, the expedition discovered eight ancient jars coated with chemical evidence of winemaking at the Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveri Gora, Newsweek reported. Both areas are located 30 miles south of Georgia's capital, Tbilisi. As per analysis, the chemical remnants in the jars have been dated back to between 6000 and 4500 B.C. Before these findings, the oldest proof of winemaking was discovered in an area in the Zagros Mountains of Iran, which dated back to somewhere between 6000 and 4500 B.C. "We believe this is the oldest example of the domestication of a wild-growing Eurasian grapevine solely for the production of wine," Stephen Batiuk, senior research associate in the Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations Department and the Archaeology Center at the University of Toronto, shared. "Georgia is home to over 500 varieties of wine alone, suggesting that grapes have been domesticated and cross-breeding in the region for a very long time."

The Eight Ancient Wine Jars

Experts used chemical extraction to detect tartaric, malic, succinic, and citric acids in the eight ancient jars discovered in the Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveri Gora, Newsweek reported. Tartaric, malic, succinic, and citric acids are compounds that are associated with wines. In further research, experts involved archaeological, botanical, climatic, and radiocarbon data, and found that the Eurasian grapevine Vitis vinifera had a dominating presence in the villages where the jars were located. Researcher Patrick McGovern claimed that Vitis vinifera underwent domestication and led to many present forms of wine, the New York Post reported.

Winemaking Possibly Originated in Georgia

Gregory Areshian, an archaeology professor at the American University of Armenia who did not participate in the research finds the work to be "very significant" as it indicates that Georgia should be focussed on as a possible location where winemaking originated, the New York Post reported. The findings also highlight the long-standing tradition of wine-making in Georgia. "It is very interesting that during these 8,000 years, there was no interruption of wine-making tradition," said Shalva Khetsuriani, head of the Sommelier Association of Georgia. David Lordkipanidze, director of the Georgian National Museum, pointed out that the jars found in Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveri Gora are very similar in structure to objects used to make the beverage in present times, Newsweek reported.  He believes the finding showcases that Georgia is a "society in which drinking and offering wine penetrate in every aspect of life—starting from medical practice to religious rituals."