They reveal the origin of wine and date from more than 8,000 years ago

The origins of viticulture go back more than 8,000 years, almost ten centuries before what had been estimated until now, according to revealed residues found in Neolithic ceramics found in Georgia, in the South Caucasus.

The oldest chemical signs of wine production date back to 5,400 to 5,000 years before the Christian era in the Zagros mountains in Iran, the scientists said, whose finding was published in the American journal Proceedings of the National Academy on Monday. of Sciences (PNAS).

The excavations focused on two sites rich in ceramics from the early Neolithic dating between 8,100 and 6,600 years, Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora, located about 50 kilometers from Tbilisi.

The analysis of the residues found in eight jugs several millennia old revealed the presence of tartaric acid, the chemical signature of grapes and wine. Three other acids - malic, succinic and citric - related to viticulture were also detected.

"This suggests that Georgia was probably the heart of the cradle of the domestication of vines and viticulture," summarizes AFP Patrice This, director of research at the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA) in France.

"We believe we are in the presence of the remnants of the oldest domestication of wild vines in Eurasia with the sole purpose of producing wine," said Stephen Batiuk, of the Center for Archeology at the University of Toronto.

"The domesticated version of grapes for table wine production currently has more than 10,000 varieties around the world," he added, of which only 500 in Georgia.

According to the scientists, this suggests that the grapes have been crossed to create different strains for a long time in that region of Eurasia.

The combination of archaeological, chemical, botanical, climatic and dating data shows that the Vitis vinifera grape variety was abundant at the two excavation sites in Georgia.

In the Neolithic, the climate was quite similar to that of the current viticultural regions in Italy and in the south of France.

Most of the classic grapes belong to this species, such as cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, syrah, merlot, garnacha, mourvèdre or riesling.

"Our study suggests that viticulture was the main element of the Neolithic way of life, which saw the birth of agriculture, which spread to the Caucasus" and further to the south in Iraq, Syria and Turkey, said Professor Batiuk.

"Ceramic, ideal to manufacture, serve and preserve fermented beverages, was invented in that period along with many other advances in technology, cooking and art," he said.

The researchers explained that in these ancient societies, drinking and offering wine was part of almost every aspect of life.

"He came as a medicine, a social lubricant, a substance that alters the spirit and even as a commodity of great value, became an essential component of religious cults, the pharmacopoeia, the kitchen, the economy and social life throughout the Middle East, "said Batiuk.

The expert added that the viticulture in the Neolithic is a perfect example of human ingenuity to develop the horticulture and invent uses of its derived products.