I.

Global History
Wine is a multi-billion dollar industry today, with more people drinking wine with
meals, out with friends, and for celebrations. But this beverage has a long and storied
history, with its beginnings tracing as far back as the Neolithic Period. This fermented
beverage has been known to ease social worries, help with depression, and help with
economic growth. Whether from Italy, Australia, Spain, or California, wine comes from
all over the world and is a continual source of pleasure and joy. Understanding the
history of wine gives us better insight into its origins and its importance.

The Neolithic Period

During this period in history, which was around 8500-4000 B.C., the people of
Egypt were able to settle permanently thanks to the cultivation of naturally growing
plants and raising animals for food. People learned how to cook using new methods
such as fermentation, adding spices, and applying heat. Around 6000 B.C., pottery was
starting to be made in order to provide a way to transport food and liquid. Since clay is
easily molded, new vessels were invented with a narrow top, making them an excellent
place to store wine. There is also evidence of the alcohol being stored in an ancient
wine bag. Anthropological digs have helped expand our knowledge of how people lived
during this time, and discoveries of walls of pottery and wine vessels have been found
in areas that would have been considered the kitchens of dwellings. This gives great
insight into the importance of wine and how it played a role in everyday life.

Egypt
Grapes were not native plants to Egypt. But hieroglyphics found along the rich
deltas show that there were people making wine. Portraits and scenes of people making
wine can be found scrawled along the sides of tombs. The jars and wine bag-type
containers discovered during this time period had clay stoppers at the top, indicating
that they may have served as wine vessels. The stoppers also had engravings on them,
most likely indicating who made the wine or who owned the wine. Since people had
become more civilized during this time, it is certainly possible that farmers were bringing
in and cultivating grape plants in order to produce more wine.
Mesopotamia
It has long been thought that beer was the beverage of choice for those living near
Iraq during the age of Mesopotamia. The dry, hot climate was not kind to grape plants,
thus making it logical to think that wine was not as prevalent. The upper echelon and
royalty, however, did drink wine. It is believed that this wine was brought in from the
mountains of Iran or from the Euphrates River. Since river transportation had become
common, many brought jugs of wine down from the mountains and river banks to be
used for trade. Impressions that have been found depict men and women gathering
together and drinking underneath grape arbors. This would indicate that there was, in
fact, consumption of wine in the region.
Today, wild grape vines can be found growing all along the banks of the
Mediterranean. Eventually, these vines were cultivated and domesticated. Once people
learned to domesticate the grape, the ability to make wine increased. Fertilizing and
cross breeding grapes also allowed for more varieties to be made and helped to
encourage wine production. Through DNA testing, scientists can now learn more about
the origins of the grapes and perhaps which regions first began producing wine. Some
people claim that Noah was actually one of the first recorded people to be a wine-
maker. Legend says he planted grapes and made wine on Mount Ararat after the great
flood and then became drunk off of it. While it is not possible to know exactly when wine
was first made, the evidence shows that it has long been a staple of human
consumption for thousands of years

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.
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 amongst nymphs. This is one of the reasons why Dionysus is often
referred to as the "God of Wine."

When was wine first discovered?

The oldest-known winery was discovered in the "Areni-1" cave in Vayots Dzor, Armenia.
Dated to c. 4100 BC, the site contained a wine press, fermentation vats, jars, and cups.
Archaeologists also found V. vinifera seeds and vines.

How old is wine making?

The earliest evidence of a wine production facility is the Areni-1 winery in Armenia and
is at least 6100 years old.

What was invented first beer or wine?

"Beer came first. There was evidence of beer production that dates all the way back to
the days of cavemen. Even the earliest Sumerian writings talk about beer! The earliest
writings about wine are in the Bible, which comparatively is pretty new.
 II. Local History
For centuries, the Philippines has had its own tradition of brewing,
fermenting and drinking wines which are produced in the different parts of the
country. Every region has its unique and exotic line of alcoholic drinks &
beverages and such concoction had been locally developed long before
The abundance of Cashew in the Province of Palawan paved the way to
processing and fermenting such into a unique Cashew Wine.
Likewise, the abundance of tomatoes in the Province of Cagayan de Oro in
Mindanao led them to produce Tomato Wine
With the abundance of strawberries and cherries in the Province of Benguet,
particularly in Trinidad Valley and Baguio City, the natives had come up with their
popular Strawberry Wine, and Cherry Wine.
• In a quiet convent of a Belgian founded congregation of nuns who
promote organically guavas and pomelos are fermented into Guava Wine
and Pomelo Wine.
• The Ilocos Region have their own fruit wine called Duhat Wine, which is
extracted from duhat fruit.
• Pineapple Wineand Banana Winesare also produced in some other places
in the Philippines

III. Benefits and Bad effects

 Red wine is high in resveratrol, and it may offer various health
benefits.
 Resveratrol may boost heart health, protect against some kinds
of cancer, and prevent some types of vision loss.
 Grapes and berries are a better source of resveratrol than red wine,
so eating these is likely to be more healthful than drinking wine.
 However, if you are going to drink, red wine appears to be more
healthful than some kinds of alcoholic beverage.
 Women should not drink more than one glass a day, and men, two
glasses.
 Benefits
1. Gut micro biome and cardiovascular health
2. Raising levels of omega-3 fatty acids
3. Heart health and type-2 diabetes
4. Healthy blood vessels and blood pressure
5. Brain damage after stroke
6. Preventing vision loss
7. Preventing colon cancer
8. Preventing breast cancer
9. Improving lung function and preventing lung cancer
10. Protection from prostate cancer

Cautions
Wine consumption may have some health benefits, but drinking too much of any kind of
alcoholic drink increases the risk of:
 addiction
 depression
 mental health problems
 cardiomyopathy
 arrhythmias
 stroke
 hypertension
 fatty liver
 alcoholic hepatitis
 cirrhosis
 several cancers
 pancreatitis