Wine is one of the oldest documented beverages to be consumed in history. It is possible that the wine making process is more than 10,000 years old. However, it is impossible to compare modern wine to ancient wine, as the process is hardly recognizable from what it used to be.

Throughout most of history, wine was consumed as a necessity, not for pleasure. Water and milk were full of disease before any filtration or pasteurizing standards were implemented, and because alcohol was naturally sterile, wine was consumed mainly for sustenance.

This practice carried on all the way until the Renaissance between the 14th and 17th centuries brought about the process of wine making as an art form. A small group of elite wine experts began to recognize that some wines were far superior to others, and certain regions began to be championed for producing better wine.

During the Enlightenment of the 18th century, the modern wine movement began. Analysis of grape choice, grape growing, wine making, wine storage and wine aging changed forever how the world created and valued wine. The way we produce wine now is a highly specialized form of the process that emerged in this time.

As drinking water became safe and trusted, wine only grew in its rank as a pleasurable substance. Its popularity still had its ups and downs in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries due to vineyard disease, world wars, popularity of liquors and prohibition, but from the mid-20th century to the present time, wine has been more popular and accessible than in any other time through out history. Establishments in every modern and developing nation serve varieties of wine, and the more money and area has, the more wine selection it is privy to.

Wine has been a continuously growing trend throughout history. It had humble beginnings as a sour, widely spread beverage and evolved over centuries into one of the world’s most sought after beverages. Few other foods and drinks have experienced quite as significant a success story as wine.