May 25th is National Wine Day!

 Barkus, Dog of Wine

This Friday, May 25^th, is National Wine Day (https://nationaltoday.com/national-wine-day/) so we thought that you might be curious as to who invented 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.