Changes

Wine, today, is not simply a beverage but it is linked with religion, cooking, feasting, and our forms of social gatherings. The history of wine also shows it has long been associated with human societies since the early development of agriculture and early domestication of grapes at about 8,000 years ago in the Near East. Since then, wine has become spread on all major continents human societies have spread to.

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 establish the foundations to a variety of wine types that were adapted to different climates and also create a taste for wine that lasted long after the Roman period. 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 during this time.<ref>For more on how wine spread in the Classical period, see: Estreicher, Stefan K. 2006. <i>Wine: From Neolithic Times to the 21st Century.</i> New York: Algora Pub.</ref>

==Later Developments==

After the Roman collapse in Europe, very like the culture of wine would have died as well. However, the now spiritual connection of wine with religious sacraments, along with local populations having become accustomed to this Mediterranean product during the Roman period, kept its relevance even in regions where it did not grow well. Thus, as Christianity spread, so did wine. Northern Europe became more of a beer and ale drinking culture, due to the climate being more favorable to wheat and barley based alcoholic drinks. However, the need wine for in mass resulted in the constant need to import wine. This also created an important business opportunity for a variety of monastic orders, as the needs of the church created a constant and strong market. Thus, perhaps not surprisingly, the best and most prolific wine producers in the early Medieval period were different orders of monasteries, where many of these continue to make wine today. The Benedictines, in particular, became well known wine makers, often exporting their produce to raise funds in addition to being used for sacraments. Virtual monopolies were established throughout Europe by monastic orders on wine production and trade.<ref>For more on monastic wines, see: Simon, Joanna. 2001. <i>Wine: An Introduction.</i> 1st American ed. New York: DK Pub, pg. 18.</ref>

==Summary==

More recently in the 20th century, prohibition in the United States and other temperance movements threatened the culture of wine in different countries. However, as wine production has improved with new bottling technologies, and new types of grapes adapted to different climates developed, wine production has not ceased to expand. Although many cultures have had their own indigenous wines, such as made from rice or palm, grape wine has become the far more dominant type because grapes are more easily adapted to a wide variety of regions and its close association with European colonization. Christianity helped to spread wine across Europe and other regions, due to its role in the religious sacraments. Today, there are probably more than 10,000 varieties of grapes that can be used for wine, demonstrating the long history of experimentation with grapes that began as early as the Neolithic.<ref>For more on wine varieties today, see: Robinson, Jancis, Julia Harding, and Jose Vouillamoz. 2012. <i>Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, Including Their Origins and Flavours.</i> 1st U.S. ed. New York: Ecco.</ref> The social association of wine with so many different activities, ranging from religion to healing and social gatherings, has established as central to many different cultures.

==References==

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