Early History of Wine

Have you ever thought of what Cleopatra was drinking while lounging by the Nile or what Julius Caesar was sipping on that faithful March evening?

The answer is certainly wine. Wine has been made for over 7,000 years with its earliest history linked to the Middle East (ancient Persia) and later North Africa, where Ms. Cleopatra sipped on sweet wine made from grapes sourced from wild Muscat vines.

If wine originated in the Middle East, it achieved its height of popularity in the Mediterranean. Ancient traders brought vines to Greece, who along with the Etruscans would later bring vines to Italy. By the time of the Roman Empire, wine was firmly established as the drink of choice of the Mediterranean; a title it has yet to relinquish.

The Greeks also brought vines to France; a country known for its love of wine. But if the Greeks began the process, it is certainly the expansion of the Roman Empire that led to vineyards being planted throughout Europe including Gaul (ancient France), Germany and even England.

Thanks to revitalization of some ancient styles, you too can drink the wine styles loved by Pharos, queens of the Nile and Roman emperors. The Muscat vine, known as Muscat of Alexandria, continues to be used by wineries throughout the Mediterranean to produce aromatic, sweet wines.

What was Caesar drinking? Probably a wine named Falernium made from an ancient grape called Aglianico. Many modern versions of wines made from Aglianico are still available today for your enjoyment.

Pick up a bottle of history and discover for yourself why ancient human civilization fell in love with wine.