Archaeologists have unearthed the oldest wine-making facility ever found, using biochemical techniques to identify a dry red vintage made about 6,000 years ago in what is now southern Armenia.
The excavation paints a picture of a complex society where mourners tasted a special vintage made at a caveside cemetery, the researchers reported on Tuesday in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
“This is the world’s oldest known installation to make wine,” Gregory Areshian of the University of California Los Angeles, who helped lead the study, said. Carbon dating showed a desiccated grape vine found near a wine press was grown around 4,000 BC, his team reported. This makes it 1,000 years older than any other wine-making facility discovered, the team from Armenia, the US and Ireland reported. The team found the world’s oldest leather shoe, about 5,500 years old, at the same cave complex in 2010. —Reuters