Today, consuming wine at the table or at special events has become commonplace, but the connection between humans and alcohol spans thousands of years. In various parts of the world, people have long been making and consuming beer, wine, and other beverages. They were used in religious rituals, to strengthen friendships and social ties, and for medicinal purposes.
The question arises as to when and where wine production first began. The answer lies in fascinating discoveries from history and archaeology. The oldest known evidence of traditional grape wine dates back approximately 8000 years and was found in Georgia.
Researchers discovered large clay vessels at two archaeological sites near the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi. These vessels date back to approximately 5980 BCE. Analysis of the residues found inside these pots showed that they were used to store wine made from grapes. This means that the inhabitants of this region knew the art of winemaking from grapes more than eight thousand years ago.
According to researcher Stephen D. Batyuk from the University of Toronto, this is the earliest known example of traditional grape wine. Archaeologists managed to find eight large clay vessels, which are presumed to have been used for making, temporary storage, and subsequent warehousing of wine. Some of these vessels are decorated with images of grapes, while others feature figures of dancing people.
These signs suggest that in that era, wine was not just a drink but part of daily life and social events. The question arose as to how scientists were able to determine that wine was stored in these vessels. To do this, specialists tested the residues present inside the pottery. Tartaric acid, which is commonly found in Eurasian grapes—the very grapes used to make traditional wine—was discovered in them. Furthermore, apple, lemon, and sorrel acids, which are chemical components characteristic of the same grapes, were found in the residues. These findings provided researchers with a solid basis for concluding that wine from grapes was prepared or stored in these large jars.
Another important aspect of this discovery is that evidence of wine was found not only in luxurious palaces or wealthy people's homes. Discoveries were also made in residential areas associated with various social classes. This indicates that wine was widespread among broad segments of society at that time. Thus, it was not only a drink of kings and the rich but also a product made and consumed by ordinary people and peasants. Researcher Stephen Batyuk notes that ordinary farmers made it at that time.
The history of wine demonstrates that the art of producing alcohol is not an invention of the modern era. Thousands of years ago, people already understood that through a special process, fruit juice could be turned into a beverage with a different taste and effect than ordinary drinks. History contains various examples of the use of alcohol: sometimes it became part of religious rituals, sometimes it served as a means of communication between people, and sometimes it was used as medicine.
Although these evidences from Georgia do not prove that alcohol was first consumed anywhere in the world here, they represent the oldest known evidence, especially concerning traditional grape wine. That is, the history of wine, which we perceive today as a modern drink, actually dates back approximately 8000 years. At that time, modern bottles, wine glasses, or large wineries did not exist; people made wine from grapes in huge clay jars and likely consumed it at public celebrations. It can be said that the history of modern wine begins not in restaurants or bars, but in thousand-year-old clay vessels.