Now that’s a vintage

HUMANS started making wine up to 1000 years earlier than had been thought, experts said yesterday.

The honour goes to the Neolithic inhabitants of Georgia on the borders of Europe and Asia.

Around 6000BC these Stone Age people were mashing grapes together using varieties similar to today’s pinot noir and syrah.

Based on residues found on pottery, the discovery pushes the first evidence of wine back from the previous dates of 5000BC or 5400BC.

The study was led by the Georgian National Museum and universities of Toronto and Philadelphia.

“We believe this is the oldest example of the domestication of a wild-growing Eurasian grapevine solely for the production of wine,” Dr Stephen Batiuk, a Toronto member of the research team said.