Wine History
It is generally considered that vines originated from the Caucasus area of Russia, between the Baltic and the Caspian Seas. After the Stone Age, some 6000 years ago, settled agricultural practices developed in the ‘Fertile Crescent' of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Wild vines, botanically known as Vitis vinifera sylvestris, became domesticated and strictly speaking became the so-called Vitis vinifera L. sativa.The Vitis genus contains many similar species, with other names such as Vitis lambrusca (see below). From those very early origins in Mesopotamia and Egypt, vines and wine-making methods were exported to the Greek- and Latin-speaking world of the Mediterranean. After the decline of these civilizations, wine production in Europe was not established until late medieval times. Wines were shipped in barrels, and even countries with little or no wine production could enjoy drinking wine.