ANCIENT MASHED GRAPES FOUND IN AEGEAN MACEDONIA
Regional.
Either the ancient Macedonians loved grape juice, or they were making wine nearly 6,500 years ago, according to a new study that describes what could be the world’s earliest evidence of crushed grapes.
If the charred 2,460 grape seeds and 300 empty grape skins were used to make wine, as the researchers suspect, the remains might have belonged to the second oldest known grape wine in the world, edged out only by a residue-covered Iranian wine jug dating to the sixth millennium B.C.
Since the Macedonians and the Greeks influenced the Romans, who in turn influenced virtually all of Europe, it is possible that a drink made in a humble, post-framed house in eastern Macedonia (Aegean Macedonia) influenced much of the world’s wine.
"Production was on a household or communal basis," added Valamoti, who is a lecturer in the Department of Archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The scientists also found two-handled clay cups and jars, which they say suggest a use for decanting and consuming liquids. Charred figs were also found near the grape remnants. The presence of figs likely was not a coincidence, according to the researchers, who mentioned that juice from wild grapes often has a bitter taste.
The ancient Macedonian grapes might change wine history, as experts previously theorized grape wine-making could have first spread throughout the Middle East.
MD: Great findings! If the oldest wine making country in the world? We don't know, but Macedonia is for sure one of the oldest in wine making.
[Discovery Channel]
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