Who Invented Wine? The Incredible 8,000 Year Old Story

Have you ever wondered who invented wine?

Wine is extraordinary. It warms and sustains us. It welcomes friends, complements food, toasts dignitaries, and is a sustainable world resource. Wine’s euphoric state has been blamed for indiscretions and awe-inspiring creative endeavors and has helped shape the world.

For many centuries, many archeologists credited the Romans and Greeks and the god Bacchus as the ones who invented wine. The earliest evidence of natural fermentation dates back to the Neolithic period and a wine created from a mixture of rice, fruit, and honey found in ancient China around 7,000 BCE.

However, in 2017, archaeologists found evidence of the first known wine-making. It is 8,000-year-old pottery fragments containing residual wine compounds, discovered on two Neolithic villages of Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora, 30 miles south of the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.

Wine’s Invention: A Cradle of Discovery

Fermented fruit has likely always been available, but the consensus is that the people of the South Caucasus invented wine. Grape clusters and a dancing man decorating earthenware jars found in the area directly link domestic wine production to the people of the South Caucasus, comprising present-day Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.

Among them, Georgia, at the southern foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, is generally considered the cradle of wine.

The Invented Wine of Qvevri (Kvevri)

Steady wine production began in the region around 4,100 BCE. Grapes were crushed, and the juice, stems, and seeds were placed in earthenware jars. The Georgians found that burying this grape juice mixture underground in Qvevri (Kvevri) or clay containers for the winter accelerated the fermentation process, resulting in wine.

Some of the Qvevris remained buried for up to 50 years, a built-in aging process.

While more modern wine-making processes have prevailed, the ancient Qvevri, or clay jar method, remains a fundamental part of Georgia’s traditional wine-making. In fact, Qvevri accounts for roughly 3% of contemporary wine production and continues an almost 8,000-year-old tradition.

The Oldest Grapes: Saperavi

It is said that great inventions are part talent and inspiration, and part quality ingredients. It’s probably no coincidence that the Saperavi, one of the oldest grape varieties, also originates from this region. This teinturier-type red grape is native to Georgia and Ukraine.

The Grape That Fueled A Legacy

It is recognized by an unusually-shaped leaf and produces a dry or semi-sweet red wine. Wines from this grape are full-bodied and complex, with blackberry and smoky notes of cedar. Saperavi wines are known for their long finish.

Discovering Orange Wine

Georgians invented wine, both red and white. But they are also credited with discovering the amber-colored wine, or orange wine. This unique style is made with white grapes. In the white wine process, the skins are removed immediately. However, when making orange wine, the juice is fermented with the skins for several days, resulting in a deeper color and flavor.

Adapting to unique climate and topography, and over 500 fruit varieties, wine remains an integral part of Georgian culture. The staple grape Saperavi remains a widely planted vine, alongside its white counterpart, Rkatsiteli. Often compared to a Petite Chablis, Rkats is described as refreshing, with crisp green-apple flavors and hints of white peach.

Why Is It Called Wine?

Why is wine called wine?

It’s one of those words that feels timeless—familiar, cozy, even a little romantic. But the story behind the name goes back thousands of years. The word wine comes from the Old English word win (pronounced “wean”).

The origin of which is the Latin word vinum. Simply meant, vinum is “vine” or “vineyard”—a direct nod to where the amazing process begins: the grapevine.

The Georgians may have invented wine. But the Greeks and Romans named it.

From the rolling hills of ancient Roman vineyards to modern cellars around the world, the root of the word has stayed surprisingly consistent. It traveled through languages like Greek (oinos), Sanskrit (vīra), and even into early Germanic dialects, all carrying this sense of something cultivated, fermented, and celebrated.

Regardless of who actually invented wine, the crimson liquid has always been more than just a drink. It’s culture, ritual, agriculture, and art in a bottle. And its name reflects that legacy.

The Latin vinum wasn’t just a label—it connected people to the land, the harvest, and the joy of sharing something crafted with care. So when someone raises a glass and says “cheers,” they’re also toasting a word with ancient roots, passed down like a well-loved vintage through the ages.

Oldest Bottle of Wine

Because of their delicacy, unless uniquely cared for, bottles rarely survive. However, a bottle of Speyer Wine was found in 1867 in the tomb of a Roman soldier, dating to roughly 325-350 AD. Currently, on display at the Historical Museum of the Palatinate (Historische Museum der Pfalz) in Speyer, it is believed to be the oldest intact bottle of wine in the world.

And while Speyer may be the oldest surviving bottle of wine, the National Museum of American History has discovered traces of cereal grains on mortars near Haifa, Israel, suggesting that beer predates wine by over 5,000 years (more on that in another article).

For those who invented wine, their legacy is safe. The continued popularity of wine and renewed trends, such as natural wine-making processes, leave little doubt that vinological traditions will continue to influence both commoners and kings, revitalizing wine’s importance with each passing generation.

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