Aged Wine

[Beagle]

Interesting story. 1.3 billion is really interesting.

[Minimalist]

...with the appropriate yeast you can get over 20% alcohol. If you want it.

That's not wine, that's PORT.
Or sleeping medicine.

Or anti-freeze.

[Beagle]

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/03/1 ... 02-ak-0000

March 16, 2007 — Either the ancient Greeks loved grape juice, or they were making wine nearly 6,500 years ago, according to a new study that describes what could be the world’s earliest evidence of crushed grapes.

If the charred 2,460 grape seeds and 300 empty grape skins were used to make wine, as the researchers suspect, the remains might have belonged to the second oldest known grape wine in the world, edged out only by a residue-covered Iranian wine jug dating to the sixth millennium B.C.

I thought China beat those dates.
From Archaeologica News

[marduk]

china says a lot of things

[Beagle]

http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-1-24/50845.html

American archeologists have discovered an ancient formula for brewing wine on the fragments of pottery uncovered from the 9000-year-old Jiahu ruins in Henan Province. The composition was successfully analyzed and now one American brewing company uses the same formula to make ancient Chinese wine as a modern beer, naming it "Château Jiahu." It has been prepared to hit the market this July.

According to the Chongqing Evening News, the Jiahu ancient ruins, situated in Wuyang County, Luohe City of Henan Province, date back 9000 years. It was covered in a flood and recovered again in the 1980s. American archeologist Professor McGovern obtained 16 pottery fragments in 2004 from the Jiahu ruins, and discovered traces of alcohol within these pots. He used chemical analysis to extract the substance from the fragments.

The original post in this thread.

[marduk]

sounds like an Ad doesnt it
I'm very dubious of the claim that it dates from 9000bce
no one else on earth was making pottery then
that came around 8000bce in most parts of the world
how do you make wine when you don't understand agriculture
that was around 7000bce
so doesnt add up
you'll be glad to know though Beagle
that I know bugger all about ancient china so might be totally wrong
Korea and Japan yes and Japan has the oldest pottery from 13,000bce
but China always bores me shitless
because its so backwards

[Minimalist]

the traces were found to contain honey, Chinese hawthorn, grapes, and rice, as well as other ingredients.

Why base the dating on pottery when c14 will give you a good date with a reasonable range on these organic materials?

[Beagle]

Not sure but I think they were determining whether or not it was an alcoholic brew as opposed to something else.

That reminds me. I need to find a St. Pats icon.

[Minimalist]

Permit me.

[Beagle]

Thanks, found something though.