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The origins of wine can be traced back to 6000 BCE in what is now the country of Georgia.
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The Greeks are credited with starting wine drinking as an institution. They started drinking wine to differentiate themselves from the Persians (modern-day Iran), their biggest rivals in the region.
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The first “celebrity endorsement” of wine came from the most powerful man of his time (870 BCE), King Ashurnasirpal II of Assyria. After successfully conquering many Phoenician (Lebanon) and Canaanite (Israel) cities, King Ashurnasirpal invites over 70,000 guests to share in his victory at a huge feast.
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Many vineyards established by the Romans were in danger of falling into disuse or being repurposed. Despite these challenges, winemaking lasted and started to thrive again, thanks in large part to the Catholic Church.
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German colonists brought winemaking to Ohio in the 1800s.
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by 1860, one third of U.S. wine is produced in the Lake Erie grape belt.
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The vast majority of wine produced in North America is made in the United States. In terms of county rankings, the United States is 4th behind the Old World producers France (1st), Italy (2nd), and Spain (3rd).
