Wine, with countless varieties and flavors to suit any palate or accompany any cuisine, has become a favorite beverage all over the world. While there are no written records of its origin, it is believed that wine has been around since some of the earliest settlements of man.
There are some things we do know. The oldest winery known was in Ancient Armenia in 4100 BC. In 3100 BC, as the pharaohs rose to power, wine was placed along with other valuables in tombs for use in the “afterlife.” A wine cellar, with the capacity to hold over 500 gallons of wine, was discovered to have existed in Northern Israel in 1700 BC, and with the rise of Greece in 800 BC, the wine trade thrived throughout the Mediterranean.
Wine became a large part of Roman life and culture, and wine making improved. In 380, Rome adopted Christianity, and from the late 1400s through 1600, Rome introduced wine Mexico, Brazil and across South America.
In 1562, wine came to America for the first time by way of French Huguenots in Florida. In 1769, Spanish missionaries traveled to California, bringing grapes to create the regions first wine; and in 1805, Franciscan monks established Sonoma’s first winery. Thomas Jefferson fell in love with Bordeaux and burgundy when was appointed minister to France in 1785, and he returned with grape cuttings for his plantation in Virginia.
It took until the latter half of the 20th Century to consider American wines stiff competition for European wines. The good news is that today you have access to any variety of wine from anywhere in the world at Bengal’s Liquor, Daytona Beach’s top retailer for wine, beer and liquor. Stop in our convenient location at 335 Beville Road in South Daytona, and browse our enormous inventory of wines and more.