The earliest archaeological evidence shows that wine fermentation dates back to as early as 7000 years BCE, in ancient China, but remains of the first wine production facility were discovered in Armenia. It takes about two hours of driving through beautiful mountain landscapes from the capital city of Yerevan to reach the small village of Areni, home to the world’s oldest winery from 4100 BCE. A wine press, fermentation vessels, jars, and cups comprised that first winery, and archaeologists even found fossilized remains of the Eurasian grapevine, vitis vinifera. Such a long-standing wine tradition, along with the rich aroma of wine, is the reason why almost every wine bottle you buy in Armenia bears the name Areni.
Considering that the agricultural revolution began during the Neolithic period, it’s not surprising that viticulture quickly spread to neighboring countries. Thus, grape cultivation continued in Mesopotamia, the Jordan River Valley, and Egypt. The wine produced in Egypt around 3000 BCE, due to its dark red color, was used in numerous ceremonies and rituals as a symbol of blood. Even the prestigious drink of ancient Egypt, called shedeh, was made from red grapes, not from pomegranates as initially thought. Wine production in the Nile Delta was at a very high level during that time, and wine vessels were inscribed with the region’s name, the producer’s name, and the year of production.
“Wine soon became a status symbol in Egypt, so the bodies of wealthy citizens and pharaohs were bathed in wine before mummification, and later they were buried with jars of the finest wine.”
Thanks to contact with Egyptian culture, the Phoenicians adopted the culture of grape cultivation and wine production and spread it to the rest of North Africa, the Greek islands, Sicily, and the Iberian Peninsula. Thanks to later Greek colonization, production expanded throughout the entire
It’s possible that wine reached Croatia in the 5th century BCE, judging by a minted coin from the city of Vis (Issa), the oldest Greek colony in Croatia. One side of the coin depicted an amphora, and the other a bunch of grapes. Although viticulture as an agricultural branch developed in Croatia with the arrival of the Greeks and Romans, fossilized remains of an extinct grapevine species found near Krapina date back to as far as 60 million years BCE!
However, the Romans are credited with the greatest expansion of viticulture when they embraced Christianity in the 2nd century BCE. The Catholic Church accepted wine as part of the Eucharistic rituals, and as it spread throughout Europe, so did wine. The goal was not to create addicts among the faithful but to present Christ’s shed blood through wine. Such symbolism was present in Croatia as well, where wine was revered as the drink of God. During that period, viticulture expanded in two directions – continental and coastal. The coast and islands became acquainted with wine thanks to Greek, Phoenician, and Roman traders and colonizers, while the mainland was dominated by the Thracians. Since the Romans considered agriculture the backbone of their economy, they built so-called villae rusticae along the Croatian coast, where presses, amphorae, and other tools and vessels for wine production were later found.
The Romans took a systematic approach to wine production, so each amphora bore a label indicating the type and quantity of wine, alcohol and acidity levels, sulfur content, harvest year, wine type, and the name of the cellar owner.
The development of Islam in the 7th century and its later spread from the Arabian Peninsula to the rest of the world began to pose a threat to wine stocks and vineyards. Since Islam strictly prohibited the consumption of alcohol, high taxes were imposed on wine producers, with only priests being exempt. We can say that the Catholic Church saved winemaking, considering that priests in many European countries were leading producers.
In Croatia, the development of wine production was halted by Turkish conquests, but after their expulsion, vineyards were revived. Feudal lords who began to come to the northern part of Croatia from other countries brought varieties such as Traminer, Pinot, and Riesling with them.
Although the Middle Ages are often called the Dark Ages, they were quite bright for the development of winemaking. Wine was no longer a drink reserved only for the upper classes; its use began to spread among all levels of society. Wine production flourished throughout Europe, with Benedictine priests playing a leading role in production in Germany and France.
With the arrival on American soil in the late 15th century, wine spread to the New World. One of the few positive aspects of Spanish and Portuguese colonization of South America was introducing indigenous peoples to wine. After Mexico and Brazil, wine production began to intensify in Peru, from where it further spread to Chile and Argentina.
By the mid-19th century, wine was consumed on all continents except Antarctica. Australia and New Zealand were the last to become familiar with wine production.
At that time, the first grapevine diseases began to spread, affecting continental Croatia more than the coast, while demand for Dalmatian wines grew even abroad, leading to exports to France. With such an increase in demand, vine growers began to clear rocky terrain and even olive fields to free up larger areas for grape cultivation. However, the success of Dalmatian vine growers was short-lived because pests appeared in the Primorje region, causing vineyards to decline. Following the example of French vine growers, grafting of vines began in order to quickly restore the vineyards, but this did not prevent the decline of certain indigenous varieties, which were later replaced by foreign ones.
The first half of the twentieth century was not conducive to the advancement of viticulture due to the First and Second World Wars, which led to a stagnation in production. After the end of the Second World War, industrial wineries began to be built throughout Croatia, and winemakers were organized into cooperatives.
With the development of modern technology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, global wine production experienced a boom. The same was true in Croatia, where winemakers began to apply new technological advancements in production and engage in global trends. Unfortunately, due to turbulent historical upheavals, Croatian viticulture has been impoverished of numerous indigenous varieties that have disappeared, so significant efforts are now being made to preserve those that remain.