2025/07/15 by Emlyn Dodd, Dimitri Van Limbergen · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Business, Management and Accounting · #Fermentation and Sensory Analysis #Horticultural and Viticultural Research #Wine Industry and Tourism
paper · doi:10.1016/j.cofs.2025.101330
openalex publication_date 2025/07/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/16
This article illustrates how recent advances in archaeological and scientific methodologies have introduced a new era of research into ancient wine production and grape cultivation. Our understanding has progressed enormously since early studies in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Analytical tools can now detect and interpret the presence of wine at increasingly granular levels, while collaboration between archaeologists and scientists has explored links between ancient and modern viticulture. We discuss the development and application of ancient DNA, archaeobotany and palynology, organic residue analysis, aerial photography and geophysical prospection in relation to the cutting-edge exploration of key debates around ancient wine: the evolution of grapevine domestication; identification of production facilities and wine drinking, storage and transport vessels; characterization of wine properties; and the archaeology of vineyards. In doing so, we also explore future possibilities for the field, including current challenges and limitations in data and method.