But the real momentum came at the end of the last Ice Age during the Neolithic Period, generally defined as 12,000 to 6,600 years ago, and one of the most revolutionary periods in history. It was during the Neolithic period, that humans learned to domesticate plants and animals, and this in turn led, for the first time, to settled life in villages (although some anthropologists argue that it might have been the other way around— settled life may have led to plant and animal domestication). The concomitant invention of pottery during the Neolithic period allowed humans to store foods, including grapes, in containers where they could be consumed later.
And where they could predictably ferment. Fermentation was the main method by which a Neolithic farmer could prevent a food from spoiling quickly since spoilage microbes can’t survive where alcohol is present.
The earliest finding of an alcoholic beverage made at least in part from grapes comes from the Neolithic village of Jiahu in the Yellow River Basin of Henan Province, China. Chemical analysis of residue inside pottery jars at the site show a fermented beverage made from rice, honey and fruit (grapes or hawthorn berries) as early as 9,000-7,500 years ago. The jars at the site had large round bodies, short necks, and small mouths, leading scientists to believe the jars were designed to be sealed, which in turn would have encouraged fermentation, and lead to a wine of sorts.
It’s not known if the people who lived at jiahu ever made their “wine” from grapes alone nor if the fruit they used was wild or domesticated, and yet they were an advanced and literate society. The excavation site also contained kilns, turquoise and jade carvings, stone tools, and flutes made from bone, the earliest evidence of musical instruments.