History of wine: a journey through the centuries

Wine, that age-old drink that has delighted humanity for millennia, has a rich and fascinating past. From the earliest traces of its production in ancient Mesopotamia to its rise as a global industry, wine has left an indelible mark on today’s culture and society. But what is its origin? To discover it, we must appeal to the mysticism evoked by symbolic thought.

Wine has its roots in the ancient Fertile Crescent, where Mesopotamian civilizations discovered the art of viticulture and winemaking more than 6,000 years ago. The Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians considered wine a gift from the gods and used it in religious rituals and festivities.

Later, wine reached its peak in Ancient Greece and Rome. The Greeks also considered it a divine drink and associated it with Dionysus. The Romans, for their part, expanded wine production throughout their vast empire and made it an integral part of their culture and lifestyle, which we have inherited.

During the Middle Ages, Christian monks played a fundamental role in preserving and developing viticulture. Monasteries became centers of wine production, and monks perfected vine-growing and winemaking techniques. With the Renaissance, wine acquired an air of refinement and sophistication, becoming a symbol of social status.

With the arrival of European explorers in the New World, wine spread to the Americas. Spanish colonizers brought the vine to Latin America, where major wine-producing regions such as Argentina and Chile were established—regions that today remain the continent’s great wineries. Meanwhile, English and French settlers introduced viticulture to North America, where we now find thriving industries such as that of California.

Today, wine is a global industry in constant growth. The emergence of new winemaking techniques and the adoption of international grape varieties have contributed to the diversity and excellence of today’s wines. Beyond countries such as Spain, France and Italy, new wine regions have emerged in areas like Australia, South Africa and Chile, which have gained international recognition. From its humble origins in ancient Mesopotamia to becoming a global economic engine, wine has left an indelible mark on the history of humankind.