Man already made wine 8,000 years ago, according to archaeologists

The man already made wine 8,000 years ago, according to a group of archaeologists concluded after analyzing the clay pots found in a field near Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.

Tbilisi, Nov 19 (EFE) .- The man was already making wine 8,000 years ago, according to a group of archaeologists concluded after analyzing the clay pots found in a field near Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.

"Now, when we raise a glass of wine we will immerse ourselves in a history of no less than 8,000 years," said Patrick McGovern, archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania, to the local press.

Until now experts believed that the oldest wine dates back to 7,000 years ago, the age of the strains found half a century ago in the Zagros Mountains in Iran.

Instead, archaeologists have found evidence of the existence of even older vines, specifically the late Stone Age, after more than four years of work in the mountains Gadachrili and Shulaveris, about 50 kilometers south of Tbilisi.

They found 26 soil samples and about thirty fragments of pottery, belonging to pots and pans. containers, some of which could be up to one meter high and another wide.

These pieces of pottery contained tartaric acid, the confirmation that the inhabitants of the area was dedicated to making wine, in particular, white wine.

"The Georgians have always said that it was the town with the oldest wine history in the world and now we can corroborate it", commented Stephen Batiuk, professor at the University of Toronto.

The ancient inhabitants of the area used large clay pots to store the wine, some of which could contain up to 300 liters of wine.

Israeli specialists confirmed that these vessels date from the Neolithic, which surprised many, since it was thought that at that time man It lacked that technology.

They also believe that the inhabitants of the area grew their own grapes, although they have not yet been able to demonstrate it because they are not able to find grape seeds in the site.

In addition, they also consider that they planted fruit trees, had livestock - sheep and goats -, they fed on the fish of the rivers of the area and practiced the crafts.

The Georgian Minister of Agriculture, Leván Davitashvili, was pleased that after four years of research by specialists from the USA, France, Italy, Israel, Denmark and Canada all come to the same conclusion.

"That Georgia is indeed the cradle of wine," he proclaimed.

Theoretically agricultural techniques came to Georgia from other territories, but the authorities rushed to announce that wine production was born in this country and from there it spread to the rest of the world.

"The verdict of the Experts is a great event for Georgia. of the National Wine Agency of this Caucasus country.

And it is that wine has been part of the culture, social habits, commerce and religion in this part of the world since time immemorial.

Still today the wine is prepared in a traditional way, first stepping on the grapes with bare feet on a kind of wooden bench or "satsjaneli", which damages less the pips and prevents the juice from souring.

Afterwards, the resulting juice is stored in pitchers or "kvevri" underground, since this way the temperature is better preserved, according to the experts.

Once at the table the wine can not be drunk as such, since before being consumed a "tamadá" or toast master should be designated.

It can not be must be a respected figure for the entire community and must also have natural grace and sense of humor, an essential condition to ensure the success of the evening.

Despite the great The consumption of wine, the Georgians rarely get drunk, because while they drink they enjoy the varied national gastronomy, very famous throughout the post-Soviet space.

Georgia received the last year, 6.4 million tourists, double the population and in the first ten months of the year exported 61 million bottles of wine, 59% more than in the same period of 2016.

Wine production is so great, that every tourist who arrives in the country receives in the customs, just after showing his passport, a bottle of wine as a gift.