Changes

Wild grapes <i>Vitis vinifera</i> are found in the eastern Mediterranean regions, stretching from Turkey, the southern Caucasus, and northern Iran. The earliest known wine production is found in northern Iran, the site of Hajji Faruz, a site that dates between 6000-5500 BCE (Figure 1). From evidence, it seems this early wine used terebinth as a form of preservative, similar to Greek wine Retsina that is still drunk today. This would suggest that Retsina wine is the oldest known wine type. The wine itself was made evident by residue of tartaric acid, a substance commonly found in grape wine. Both white and red wines were likely developed at about the same time, as the main difference is in fermenting with (red wine) or without (white wine) the grape skins. <ref>For more on the Neolithic innovation of wine production, see: McGovern, Patrick E. 2007. <i>Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture.</i.> 4. print., 1. paperback print. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press.</ref>

In China, residue of rice-based wine, perhaps even earlier than wine found in the Near East, has been found. However, other possibilities, rather than a fermented drink, cannot be ruled out. Tartaric acid was found in clay jars, suggesting fermentation. While rice wine may have developed early on, it stayed mostly in east Asia. Rice wine spread in the by the 1st millennium BCE to India, Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Korean Peninsula. In Africa and tropical regions of Malaysia, India, and Southeast Asia, types of Palm wine have been produced. It is not clear how old this tradition is but it does likely go back to ancient periods. Palm wine can be made by collecting date palm sap and letting it ferment, where it can then be filtered to remove impurities. <ref>For more on rice and palm wine, see: Cyrus Redding, Redding. 2008. <i>History and Description of Modern Wines.</i> Place of publication not identified: Applewood Books.</ref>