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A descriptive timeline of wine through the centuries including important grape varieties and brands along the way.
In 8,000-year-old Neolithic villages in Georgia, archaeologists discovered clay jars containing traces of grape wine, pushing back the history of winemaking by up to 1,000 years. It suggested that Stone Age people not only focused on survival but also enjoyed sophisticated pleasures like alcohol.
Wine production begins in Persia.
Evidence of wine production in Greece.
Large-scale wine production in Armenia.
Ancient Egyptians revered wine as a sacred and luxurious beverage, using it in religious ceremonies, medicinal treatments, and social gatherings. They believed it could appease the fierce lioness goddess Hathor, transforming her into the benevolent Bastet through the civilizing influence of music, dance, and fermented grape juice.
Wine production begins in ancient China.
Mycenaean Greeks establish trade in wine throughout the Mediterranean.
Phoenicians spread wine and viticulture throughout the Mediterranean.
Greek colonization spread wine culture across the Mediterranean, with the ancient Greeks worshiping Dionysus through wine festivals, using massive clay jars called pithoi for fermentation. They even inspired the Romans to such an extent that southern Italy became known as "Oenotria" or "the land of vines," while a shipwreck off the coast of Southern France laden with thousands of amphorae of Greek wine attests to the scale of their wine trade.
Pinot noir is an ancient grape variety possibly dating back to the 1st century CE when it was described by Roman author Columella. It may be only one or two generations removed from wild vines, and has been spawned into numerous other famous grape varieties through unexpected crossbreeding in the Middle Ages, including Chardonnay, Gamay, and even Pinotage in 1925 in South Africa.
Ancient Rome played a pivotal role in wine history .Romans believed wine had both healing and harmful powers, they added lead to wine for sweetness, and there was once a wine shortage so severe that Emperor Domitian ordered half of all vineyards outside Italy to be destroyed.
Burgundy wine's origins trace back to the 2nd century AD, with monks playing a crucial role in its development, including the Cistercians who created the massive walled Clos de Vougeot vineyard in 1336 and pioneered the concept of terroir. In 1395, a decree by Duke Philip the Bold banned the "vile and disloyal" Gamay grape and the use of manure as fertilizer to maintain wine quality.
The Cistercian monks, founded in the 11th century, revolutionized winemaking in Europe by establishing some of the earliest vineyards, developing innovative agricultural techniques, and becoming the continent's largest wine producers—all while living lives of extreme simplicity and poverty.
Chardonnay, first emerging in the Middle Ages (likely around the 8th century) in the Burgundy region of France, is the surprising love child of the noble Pinot noir and an obscure grape called Gouais blanc. Gousais blanc was likely brought to France by the Romans from Croatia and widely planted by medieval peasants, leading to its chance crossing with the aristocratic Pinot noir.
Moors conquer Spain, introducing distillation techniques.
Champagne region in France begins producing still wines.
Marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry II of England boosts wine trade.
Bordeaux wine originated with Roman viticulture in the 1st century CE, but its popularity exploded in the 12th century when Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet (later King Henry II of England). Which led to a 300-year period where the Bordeaux region was actually under English control and became the primary supplier of wine to England. Scottish merchants were granted privileged trading positions even during times of conflict between France and England.
King Philip Augustus of France organizes the first wine-tasting competition.
Chianti, originally a white wine in the 14th century, evolved into a red blend governed by strict regulations set by Cosimo III de' Medici in 1716, later refined by Baron Bettino Ricasoli in the 19th century, and eventually became associated with the iconic straw-covered fiasco bottle. It survived the chaos of phylloxera, world wars, and a period where it was known for cheap, easy-drinking wine before its quality renaissance in the late 20th century.
Pope Clement V, a Frenchman, moves papacy to Avignon, boosting French wine prestige.
The Antinori family, one of the oldest winemaking dynasties in the world dating back to 1385, not only revolutionized the Italian wine industry with their "Super-Tuscan" innovations in the 1970s. They also have a scandalous history involving a 16th-century love affair that led to the murder of a Medici princess and the execution of an Antinori family member.
Riesling, first documented in 1435 in Germany when Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen purchased vine cuttings, is believed to be a cross between Gouais blanc and a wild vine-Traminer hybrid, with the intriguing twist that some experts suggest the rare red-skinned "Red Riesling" could actually be the forerunner of the more common white Riesling we know today.
Madeira wine, born in the Age of Exploration, gained its unique flavor profile accidentally when barrels returned unsold from long sea voyages were found to have been transformed by the intense heat and movement, leading producers to deliberately expose the wine to heat and oxidation to replicate this effect.
Spanish conquistadors introduce vines to Mexico and South America.
Cabernet Sauvignon, surprisingly discovered to be a chance crossing between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in the 17th century in southwestern France. It rose from obscure origins to become one of the world's most widely planted wine grape varieties, dominating prestigious regions like Bordeaux and even surpassing its own parent grapes in global popularity.
Earliest documented wine production in South Africa.
Dom Pérignon, a 17th-century French Benedictine monk often mistakenly credited with inventing champagne, actually worked to prevent sparkling wine and instead made significant contributions to wine production techniques, including grape blending and natural fermentation, while also reportedly having the ability to identify specific vineyards by tasting a single grape—though this last claim is likely a myth.
The Methuen Treaty of 1703 between England and Portugal not only shaped the wine trade by popularizing port wine in England during wartime with France. It also led to a peculiar situation where Ireland, caught in a tariff dispute, called for a boycott of Portuguese wines in the 1780s through the Irish Volunteers' Dungannon resolutions.
Moët & Chandon, founded in 1743 by Claude Moët, has grown from a local Champagne producer to a global luxury brand, producing around 28 million bottles annually.
Demarcation of the Douro Valley creates the world's first wine appellation.
Veuve Clicquot, founded in 1772, revolutionized the champagne industry under the leadership of widow Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, who invented the riddling rack in 1816 and created the first known blended rosé champagne in 1818.
Merlot, first mentioned in 1784 as "Merlau" in Bordeaux, France, was named after local blackbirds (merle in French) that liked eating the ripe grapes. Much of what was thought to be Merlot in Chile turned out to be the nearly-extinct Carménère grape, leading to a viticultural identity crisis in the 1990s.
Australian wine production began in 1788 when Governor Phillip brought vine cuttings from the Cape of Good Hope to the penal colony of New South Wales, and despite initial failures, the industry grew to international acclaim, with Australian wines winning gold medals in European competitions by the late 19th century and even being mistaken for French wines in blind tastings.
In the late 19th century, a tiny aphid-like insect called phylloxera devastated European vineyards, destroying up to 90% of all grape vines. It caused a wine crisis so severe that desperate French vintners resorted to burying live toads under their vines to "draw out the poison”. They saved their industry by grafting European vines onto resistant American rootstock.
Founded in 1870 by a man who made his fortune in Cuba's oil industry—Bodegas Torres survived bombing during the Spanish Civil War—rebuilt itself to become Spain's largest winery. He introduced international grape varieties to Spain, pioneered temperature-controlled fermentation in the country, and once built the world's largest wine vat holding 600,000 liters before it was destroyed in the war.
Concha y Toro, founded in 1883 by a former Chilean Minister of Finance and his wife using grape varieties from Bordeaux, has grown from aristocratic roots to become Latin America's largest wine producer and exporter. It has vineyards spanning three countries, a partnership with the Rothschild family, and a sponsorship deal with Manchester United F.C.
Prohibition, the nationwide ban on alcohol from 1920-1933, led to unintended consequences including widespread bootlegging, the rise of organized crime, and the U.S. government intentionally poisoning industrial alcohol (which killed up to 10,000 people).
France establishes the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system.
Robert Mondavi, a pioneering American winemaker who revolutionized the Napa Valley wine industry, not only founded his iconic winery at the age of 52 after a family feud. He also partnered with Baron Philippe de Rothschild to create Opus One. He made wine with his estranged brother at 92, and had his company sold for a staggering $1.36 billion when he was 91 years old.
The Judgment of Paris puts California wines on the world stage.
New World wine regions gain prominence.
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