Changes

Pips from wild grape varieties have been found in Greece about 12,000 years ago. However, domesticated grapes and wine making arrived by 4000 BCE. By this time, platforms for crushing grapes have been found. Wine from Byblos and other Phoenician cities in the eastern coast of the Mediterranean began to spread widely by the 3rd millennium BCE, traded across the region. Wine made from domesticated grapes began to spread throughout the Mediterranean most likely due to Phoenician traders. Wine now became spread to North Africa and Southern Europe. With the spread of wine, specific regions began to be associated with better quality wine. Armenia, in particular, began to be associated with high quality wine, where gifts of wine from Armenia were renown. In the Achaemenid period, in the 5th century BCE, gifts of wine were shown to be given to the Persian king.<ref>For more on how the Phoenicians helped spread wine, see: Hames, Gina. 2012. <i>Alcohol in World History.</i> Routledge: London, pg. 24. </ref>

To help spread wine, not only did seafaring have to develop so that it could more easily reach distant regions, but preservation techniques were needed. Wine can easily turn to vinegar if not properly sealed. The Phoenicians used olive oil to seal containers so that it could be more easily transported across the Mediterranean as their ships were dispatched. Eventually, grapes were also brought and regions along southern Europe became good growing areas for grapes. <ref>For more on how early wine was preserved, see: Jackson, Ron S. 2014. <i>Wine Science: Principles, Practice, Perception.</i> Fourth edition. Amsterdam: Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevier, pg. 615.</ref>

In the Roman period, wine began to spread to more northerly regions in Gaul (France), Germany, and even Britain. Greek colonists had already brought wine to parts of Europe by the 600s BCE. However, the spread of wine by the Roman period helped laid the foundations to a variety of wine taps that were adapted to different climates. Some climates, such as in Britain, were more difficult for growing grapes, but the importation of wine became more common, acculturating the population to wine consumption. Greek wine became well known in this period for its quality, while wine from Italy was considered more common and average wine for the masses. Wine types known to us such as chardonnay may have derived by crossing grapes Gouais blanc with Pinot noir grapes found in France.<ref>For more on how wine spread in the Classical period, see: Estreicher, Stefan K. 2006. Wine: From Neolithic Times to the 21st Century. New York: Algora Pub.</ref>