France was Home to First Winemaking Culture

Imported ancient Etruscan amphoras and a limestone press platform discovered at an ancient port site of Lattara in southern France have provided clues about winemaking in France.

Patrick McGovern, Director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and lead author of the study said that the discovery gives a new understanding to the "wine culture of the world", which began in Turkey's Taurus Mountains, the Caucasus Mountains, and/or the Zagros Mountains of Iran about 9,000 years ago.

"France's rise to world prominence in the wine culture has been well documented, especially since the 12th century, when the Cistercian monks determined by trial-and-error that Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were the best cultivars to grow in Burgundy. What we haven't had is clear chemical evidence, combined with botanical and archaeological data, showing how wine was introduced into France and initiated a native industry," Dr. McGovern noted.

"Now we know that the ancient Etruscans lured the Gauls into the Mediterranean wine culture by importing wine into southern France. This built up a demand that could only be met by establishing a native industry, likely done by transplanting the domesticated vine from Italy, and enlisting the requisite winemaking expertise from the Etruscans," he added in a news release.

Archaeologists selected three of the numerous Etruscan amphorae found at the merchant quarters in the city of Lattara (modern-day Lattes). The settlement dated around 525-475 BCE. The three specimens chosen for the study were whole, unwashed and well-preserved. These amphorae also contained traces of wine, which the archaeologists collected and tested.

Test results on the samples from amphorae and the limestone press came positive for the presence of tartaric acid, which is a marker for the Eurasian grape and wine in the Middle East and Mediterranean. The samples also had traces of herbs grown in the area (basil, thyme), as well as compounds from pine tree residues. Archaeologists also found masses of domesticated grape seeds, pedicels, and even skin near the press, showing that the site had been home to a thriving winemaking industry.

The study, "The Beginning of Viniculture in France", is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).