winemaking

Winemaking 2
The Age Old Art of Winemaking
The art of making wine is a delicate process with trade secrets passed down for thousands of years, from generation to generation of crafty winemakers. This lengthy tale begins over 8000 years ago in the fertile valleys of Caucasia and Mesopotamia, lands where the wild grape, vitis vinifera, originated (Cobb). Archaeological digs dating Caucasian and Mesopotamian winemaking back to 6000 B.C. prove these cultures to be true pioneers to the winemaking process (Cobb). As these civilizations faded away, the art was adopted by the Ancient Egyptians, who provided actual written documentation of winemaking long ago in 3000 B.C. (Wine). Several Egyptian Pharaohs loved wine’s unique flavor so much that they demanded that bottles of wine rest with them for their eternal slumber (Wine). Around 1000 B.C., the balance of power shifted towards Europe, with the Greeks bearing the torch of winemaking (Wine). The Greek Isles alone could not sati...