Barkus, Dog of Wine
Answering the question "Who invented wine?" isn't
really possibly because scientists and historians alike believe that wine wasn’t
really invented, it was more discovered than anything. Basically, they believe
that the discovery of wine was made by ancient peoples when they found their
grapes had spoiled and fermented, creating fermented grape juice. Many believe
that this is when the wine making process was invented and this is where most
stories about the origins of wine begin.
In a letter to the Abbe Morellet in 1779, Benjamin Franklin wrote that the strategic location of the elbow is proof that God wants us to drink wine. After all, had God placed the elbow lower on the arm, our wine glass would never make it all the way to our mouths. Had the elbow been placed higher, our glass would shoot straight past our lips.
“From the actual situation of the elbow,” Franklin wrote, “we are enabled to drink at our ease, the glass going directly to the mouth. Let us, then, with glass in hand adore this benevolent wisdom; – let us adore and drink!”
Wine Discovery History
Here are a few of
the key points in wine's long history:
·
The
first written tale of wine is said to be in the Old Testament of the
Christian Bible. Apparently, Noah planted vines and made wine.
·
Scientists
have dated fossilized grape vines at 60 million years old.
·
The
Haji Firuz Tepe wine jar, found in modern day Iran, is the oldest
archaeological evidence of wine making. The Haji Firuz Tepe wine jar, along
with a wine press, known to be a wine press due to its tartaric crystal and
tannin residue, was dated to 6000 B.C.
·
There
were no written records about viticulture or wine making for nearly 5,000
years. The craft of making wine was passed down for generations through
families and apprenticeships.
·
Historians
believe that Phoenicians were the ones who spread their wine making knowledge
to ancient Greece and Italy.
·
Christian
monks are credited with France's reputation as one of the best wine making
countries in the world. It was their meticulous records about grape varietals,
terroir and growing methods that allowed France to perfect and develop its
wine making skills.
Wine Myths and Fables
There are a few
well known wine myths and fables that credit different parts of the world for
the invention, or discovery, of wine. Here are a few of the more popular
stories.
Dionysus
This is arguably
one of the most well-known wine fables. In Greek mythology, Dionysus, son of
Zeus and his mistress Semele, invented wine while living in the ancient Mount
Nysa among nymphs. This is one of the reasons why Dionysus is often referred to
as the god of Wine.
The Persian Woman
This story of the
Persian woman and fermented grapes has many folklorists crediting a woman for
inventing wine. It has at least two different versions. Here they are:
Version One
A Persian Princess
had found herself out of favor with the King of Persia. When she heard this
news, she attempted to commit suicide by consuming a jar of spoiled grapes.
Instead of dying, she found herself feeling better and acting a lot happier.
Eventually she passed out, but when she woke up, she found that the King liked
her new attitude so much that he admitted her back into his good graces.
Version Two
A Persian woman
found herself sick with a headache and drank from a jar she used to store
grapes. The grapes in the jar had fermented. The woman got drunk and passed
out. When she woke, her headache was gone.
Since no two
stories will ever agree on who invented wine, let's just say that the world
invented it. Though there are ways to carbon date the oldest wine bottles and
new archaeological discoveries regarding wine are being made, there is just no
way of proving who invented wine first. So next time you are enjoying a glass
of your favorite wine, raise it up and give a nod to the Persian Princess,
Dionysus, Noah or whomever, in thanks that the wine you love so much was even
discovered.
