The Origins of Wine

Did you know that the nine most widely planted wine grape varieties in the world all originated from France or Spain?  And, France and Spain together have one-third of the global vineyard area devoted to winemaking.  With such a dominant influence on the world of wine, you might expect this area to be the original home of winemaking.  But in fact the grape species most commonly used in winemaking, Vitis vinifera, is not native to this part of Europe.  The center of origin of Vitis vinifera and the historical home of winemaking is much further East, in the Southern Caucasus, today the areas of Georgia, Armenia and Northeastern Turkey. 

Map by Flalf - Own work, based on File:Caucasus regions map2.png., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=98656028

At this time, the earliest archeological finds with chemical evidence of winemaking are from Georgia around 6000 BC.  And the oldest archeological site of a winemaking facility is in Armenia, from 4100 BC, at Areni-1. In this ancient winemaking area, internationally acclaimed winemaker Paul Hobbs formed a partnership with the local Yacoubian family to produce wines of extraordinary quality from the traditional local grapes.  At Wandering Vine we are very pleased to offer this rare vintage.  The Yacoubian Hobbs white blend is a dry white wine made from three local Armenian varieties, with delicate floral aromas and marked minerality on the palate, making it an excellent complement to fish and seafood dishes.