There are three natural habitats for the grapevine: China, North America, and the Levant. The Levant is a term that entered the English language in the 15th century to describe the regions of modern-day Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Israel, and southwest Turkey. The region also included the island of Cyprus and all of the land bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Asia. This land, known as the place where the sun rises in the east, has historically been one of the most occupied locations in the history of human existence. It also just so happens to be where humans first started interacting with the grapevine.
There are a few theories as to how humans learned to cultivate these grapes, one of which points to humans observing animals eating the grapes off the vine and later becoming intoxicated. However, one of the most famous arguments is the “Drunken Monkey Hypothesis,” which posits that humans originally cultivated the fruit for sustenance. As the grapes, which were placed in a large container, sat out in the sun and as the skins cracked, the sugars fermented (ever heard of carbonic maceration?), and when humans ate the grapes, they became intoxicated. This discovery eventually transformed into full-fledged winemaking. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Today on “Wine 101,” Keith dives into the roots of how wine became popular by looking back at the first time humans and grapevines intersected. Tune in for more.
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“Wine 101” was produced, recorded, and edited by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big old shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for creating VinePair. Big shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, the art director of VinePair, for creating the most awesome logo for this podcast. Also, Darby Cicci for the theme song. And I want to thank the entire VinePair staff for helping me learn something new every day. See you next week.
*Image retrieved from FreeProd via stock.adobe.com
