2. History Of wine
The development of viticulture is inextricably
linked with the birth of European civilisation
It is likely that Nomadic people were
fermenting grapes as far back as 6000 –
7000BC
Wine was one of the first cultivated wild fruit
Wine production first flourished in Pharaonic
Egypt
3. Localised Production
As man began settled civilisation, production was
for his/her family
People became known in their village for a decent
wine
They then would sell to other villagers for trade
goods
4. Exporting Regions
As person (or village) became well known for the
produce of wine
Travellers would spread the word
Settlements would begin mass production of a
certain produce (wine) and would then export
Wine became a feasible trading commodity
immediately after the ability to store liquids (about
5000BC)
5. Egypt
The Nile Delta (Egypt) witnessed the first
explosion of the wine trade
Would use long caravans or fast ships to bring
wine to the most important trading centers of the
Mediterranean
6. Ancient Greece
From Egypt the process of wine making travelled
to Ancient Greece where it flourished
As the wine culture developed, regions became
well known for their wine
E.g. the region of Lesbos was well known for the
mature flavours arising from the wine maturing
under a thin layer of Flor yeast
The region of Cos was known for its sour wine
7. Importing Regions
During the late 2nd century BC and early 1st
century BC there was a massive increase in wine
sxports from places like Ancient Greece and
Rome to places as far as modern day Russia
Cities that could not produce their own wine, or
wine of high quality were large importers E.G
Daha (modern day Syria)
The roman city of Pompeii imported thousands of
liters of wine for the growth of the roman empire
8. England
In the middle ages, almost the entirety of England
was unsuited to produce grapes of good quality
and therefore basically all wine that was
consumed was imported
The English craved wines from Roman facilities in
Gaul (possibly where Bordeaux is now) and
imported thousands of liters a year
The ability to send wine such long distances is
one reason why Roman culture was able to travel
so far
9. There is a (not uncommon) view that the
foundations of modern economy find their root in
the mediterraenean wine trade:
Money contracts
Payment systems
Courts
Accounting procedures
Commercial professions
10. Differences between Importing and
Exporting regions
Early wine exporting regions were found
wherever the vine naturally grew and could be
cultivated
This was usually country estates instead of near
cities
The expansion of wine follows the rise of Egypt
who brought the vine to Ancient Greece who in
turn showed the Romans
Wine exporting regions developed where viable
land for viticulture appeared
As viticulture knowledge grew vineyards were
selected by “terroir” and climate
11. Wine exporting regions were often chosen by
distance to the sea, due to the difficulty of
exporting over land
Wine importing regions were developed where
local wine was insufficient
As the roman empire grew, they brought
viticulture and wine-making to the new
settlements
When a wine was found to be of excellent quality
in a certain region it would be imported into all
main trading centers of the Mediterranean
12. Wine importing regions were often where many
differing cultures resided and many different
wines could be found
Regions throughout northern Europe were large
importers of wine due to the climate
Cities were usually large importers of wine due to
their size and inability to produce wine
13. Exporting regions were often poor and generally
slaves were used
Importing regions were often large and rich, the
trade of wine generated large amounts of money
for importing regions
Importing regions were often centres for wine
knowledge as the rich and powerful traded in
many differing cultures of wine
14. References
Domine, A. (2000). Wine: Konneman
Seward, D. (1973). Monks and Wine. London, England: Mitchell Beasley
Publishers Limited
Stilo, A. (n.d.). Wine and Rome. Retrieved 2nd August, 2013, from
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/wine/wine.html
Agis, L. (2004). History of Ancient Wine: The Beginnings of the Wine Trade.
Retrieved 2nd August, 2013, from http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/433249
Unwin, T. (1996). The 8,000 Year Old Story of the Wine Trade. New York, USA:
Thunders Mouth Press Wine and the Vine. London: Rou
ThinkQuest. (2000). Trade in the Mediterranean. Retreived August
8th, 2013, from http://library.thinkquest.org/C004203/economic/economic02.html
