Ancient Wine

Tracing the history of wine parallels explorations into the history of humanity and its traditions. There is no food or beverage that is so intensely scrutinised by its fans, so it comes as no surprise to find the origins of viticulture and winemaking are subject to similar scrutiny.

A single Eurasian grape species (Vitis vineifera L. subsp. Sylvestris) is believed to be the source of almost all of the world’s wine today. Scientific testing allows archaeologists to trace this, but understanding how wine was first discovered and made, and the leap from that to the domestication of vines relies on a multitude of archaeological disciplines. 

McGovern: a Leader in His Field

Author Patrick McGovern is a senior research scientist and adjunct associate professor in Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. He is unique because his work crosses many disciplines, including the physical sciences, archaeology and the humanities. He pioneered biomolecular archaeology, a rapidly developing field which has advanced our understanding of ancient wine and food cultures.

McGovern says developments in molecular archaeology are enabling the study of ancient organics to take off. “Ancient wine, one of the most important ‘discoveries’ of the human race with far-reaching cultural consequences, provides a paradigm for how other organic materials in the archaeological record can be resuscitated and traced through time to the present,” he says. 


The inspiration for Ancient Wine came from an international symposium in 1991 organised by McGovern and Napa Valley winemaker Robert Mondavi. Pottery jars showing chemical evidence of wine storage were discovered a year earlier at Godin Tepe in Iran, and pushed accepted theory about the origin of wine back some 3000 years.

The Origins of the Species

The original wild vines extend over 6000km from Central Asia to Spain. Today the species still thrives wild in China and North America, however there is little evidence that the Chinese or Native Americans ever cultivated vines for wine.  

Ancient texts, legend and religious tales all offer intriguing stories on the origins of viniculture (a term which encompasses both vine cultivation and winemaking). A Persian tale of King Jamsheed, who was very fond of grapes and stored them in jars for a year-round supply, describes a consignment that went bad and was labelled poison. One of his harem who suffered severe headaches mistakenly drank from the jar and fell into a deep sleep, waking miraculously cured; Jamsheed ordered more “poison” be prepared. 

More likely is author Patrick McGovern’s hypothesis that early human foragers found wild grape vines and collected the berries into animal hides or wooden containers to transport back to their dwellings. The first wine developed when juice collected in the bottom of these containers and was left to ferment into wine as the grapes on top were slowly eaten over many days. Nomadic groups would likely return to the same area to harvest these vines each year and reproduce the aromatic, slightly intoxicating beverage.

Near East, yes; China, Maybe

Archaeological and historical evidence suggest the earliest wine was made in the upland, northern parts of the Near East, spreading to regions such as Egypt and Lower Mesopotamia around 3500-3000 BC. However, jars excavated at Jiahu in Henan Province (China) from the seventh millennium BC show molecular evidence of holding one of the earliest fermented beverages in the world, with grapes as a possible ingredient. Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers may have had the necessary tool kits to make wine, but the essentials of deliberate viniculture weren’t available until the Neolithic period, from about 8500 to 4000 BC, when year-round villages around the foothills of the Zagros Mountains seem the most likely beginnings for our modern vines.

For the modern winemaker discovering the ancient 'terroir', the domesticated Eurasian grape can only lead to better wine being made, especially in the New World of wine, such as California’s Napa Valley, where winemakers are only just beginning to discovering the best climates and conditions to get the best from their vines.

Ancient Wine explores the earliest origins of viniculture, from the Stone Age through to the discoveries at Godin Tepe and Neolithic winemaking. Egypt’s role, from the earliest pharaohs to the golden age, is discussed as is the wine of the cities of Mesopotamia. Finally we arrive in Greece, Western Anatolia and the realm of King Midas.

McGovern provides some depth in his scientific proof of the evidence of wine in pottery and seed discoveries in each area. This detail is perhaps necessary for peer review and further studies into the origins of viniculture. However, Ancient Wine remains approachable enough so that wine lovers who want to discover more of the origins of their favourite drop will find it of great value and interest.