It starts with agriculture in Western civilization. The earliest evidence of a fermented drink (from grapes at least) dates back to China 7000 BC. The first cultivation of wild grape vines was known to happen in coastal and southern Turkey. The oldest known official winery was in Armenia dating back to 4100 BC.
It became more widespread soon after that in the Near East (Mesopotamia, Israel, Egypt). Then the Greeks, Romans, and the Mediterranean areas were the first to cultivate full plantations.
It's all Greek to me?
Believe it or not, the altered consciousness produced by wine is considered "religious". The Greek god Dionysus (god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness, religious ecstasy and theatre) was one reason the Greeks considered themselves to be fulfilling a religious good deed when drinking wine!
Wine for all of Society!
During the 15th century and forward as part of the European expansion (exploration and global mapping of the world) wine production and wine consumption became a part of main stream society and popular vineyards, plantations, and wineries became known around the world.
Now we've talked about religion and wine, how about love and wine?
In Persian legend, King Jamshid had banished a lady of his harem. She became so sad and distraught from this she contemplated suicide. She went to the king's warehouse and found a jar marked "poison" (it had the remnants of grapes that had spoiled and had been deemed undrinkable). After drinking the fermented wine, she got her spirits lifted! She took the drink to the king and he became so enamored with this new drink he accepted her back into his castle and declared all grapes grown in his land would now be devoted to wine making!
Cheers-
Campbell Station Wine & Spirits, Always of Good Cheer! Your Friendly Farragut Liquor & Wine Store! Conveniently located on the West End of Turkey Creek in Farragut. It is our pleasure to assist in picking the perfect wine or liquor for your enjoyment. Visit us today and check out our full inventory that includes popular, premium, and even extremely rare wines and spirits. Don't forget we also sell beer, mixers and other wine accessories. Visit our website www.campbellstationwine.com or call 865.966.7122
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