The Rest Is History 666. Wine and the Birth of Civilisation
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May 3, 2026 Wine becomes a tour through civilisation, from the earliest grapes in the Caucasus to Phoenician trade routes, Greek ritual, and Roman conquest. The story then sweeps through monasteries, Islamic debates, English bottle-making, and France’s rise to prestige. It all builds to the explosive Judgment of Paris, when California challenged French supremacy.
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How Wine Began In The Caucasus
- Wine begins with domesticated vinifera grapes in the Caucasus arc, where wild male and female vines were crossbred into self-pollinating hermaphrodites.
- Archaeology places this near Tbilisi around 6000 BC, and Areni in Armenia shows a large cave winery by 4000 BC.
Amphorae And Greek Ritual Made Wine Civilized
- Canaanites and Phoenicians made wine scalable by exporting it in amphorae, while Greeks exported the drinking culture that went with it.
- In the Odyssey, Polyphemus gulps undiluted wine like a barbarian, showing wine marked civilization as much as intoxication.
Rome Used Wine To Conquer Gaul
- Rome used wine as an imperial tool by addicting Gallic elites while banning vine sales that could make them independent producers.
- By Julius Caesar's day, one amphora could buy a slave, fueling raids, slavery, and the wars that eased Rome's conquest.
