At least eight thousand years. The earliest chemical evidence of wine made from grapes comes from Neolithic villages in Georgia dating to approximately 5,980 BC, thousands of years before wine reached Egypt, Greece or Rome.

When was the oldest wine discovered?

The discovery was announced in November 2017, when an international team led by molecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern published its findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Pottery fragments excavated between 2014 and 2016 at Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora held tartaric acid, the chemical fingerprint of grapes, showing that pure grape wine was made there around 5,980 BC.

Was wine invented in Georgia or Iran?

Georgia. Until 2017 the oldest known wine came from the Zagros Mountains of Iran. The Georgian finds, published in PNAS in November 2017, pushed the timeline of winemaking back by roughly 600 to 1,000 years, to approximately 5,980 BC.

A qvevri is a large egg-shaped clay vessel, lined with beeswax and buried up to its neck in the ground, in which Georgian wine is fermented and aged. Traditional Georgian qvevri winemaking is recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

What does 5980bc mean?

Approximately 5,980 BC is the earliest date for winemaking yet found: grape wine made in clay jars in the Neolithic villages of Georgia. Our name marks that moment, and every bottle is a toast to where wine was born.

Where can I buy 5980bc?

5980bc will be available in a limited number of restaurants and independent retailers across the UK. Register your interest and we will tell you where to find it first.

Can my restaurant or shop stock 5980bc?

Yes. We are choosing a small number of UK trade partners. Register your interest as a stockist and we will be in touch.

5980bcThe origins of wine

Born in clay,
c. 5,980 BC.

Poured in glass,
in Britain today.

Georgia · c. 5,980 BC

Where was wine invented?

In Georgia, in the South Caucasus, some eight thousand years ago. Traces of grape wine found in clay jars at Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora, south of Tbilisi, date back to approximately 5,980 BC, often rounded to c. 6,000 BC: the oldest evidence of winemaking yet found anywhere on earth.

It was made in the qvevri, a great egg of clay buried to its neck in the cool earth, where the grapes fermented and rested through the winter. Georgians still make wine this way, a tradition UNESCO recognises as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

How we know

c. 5,980 BC
Neolithic farmers at Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora, south of Tbilisi, make pure grape wine in clay jars.
2014–2016
Archaeologists excavate fragments of that ancient pottery from both sites.
November 2017
An international team led by molecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern publishes its analysis in PNAS. Residues of tartaric acid, the chemical fingerprint of grapes, prove the jars held wine, moving the oldest record from the Zagros Mountains of Iran back by roughly 600 to 1,000 years.

McGovern, P. et al. (2017). Early Neolithic wine of Georgia in the South Caucasus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114(48), E10309–E10318.

A new wine house, from the oldest wine country.

5980bc is a new British wine house, founded to bring the wines of the birthplace of wine to the UK, and to tell their story properly.

We are starting small and choosing carefully. 5980bc will be poured in a limited number of restaurants and found in a handful of independent retailers across Britain, with tastings for those who want to meet the wines first.

A sister to Khachapuri, the Georgian kitchen.

Limited release

Register your interest

Whether you would like to stock 5980bc, buy a bottle, or join us at a tasting, leave your details and you will be among the first to hear.

Questions

Where was wine invented?: Wine was first made in Georgia, in the South Caucasus. Residues of grape wine found in clay jars at Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora, south of Tbilisi, date back to approximately 5,980 BC, often rounded to c. 6,000 BC: the oldest known evidence of grape winemaking anywhere in the world.
How old is wine?: At least eight thousand years. The earliest chemical evidence of wine made from grapes comes from Neolithic villages in Georgia dating to approximately 5,980 BC, thousands of years before wine reached Egypt, Greece or Rome.
When was the oldest wine discovered?: The discovery was announced in November 2017, when an international team led by molecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern published its findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Pottery fragments excavated between 2014 and 2016 at Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora held tartaric acid, the chemical fingerprint of grapes, showing that pure grape wine was made there around 5,980 BC.
Was wine invented in Georgia or Iran?: Georgia. Until 2017 the oldest known wine came from the Zagros Mountains of Iran. The Georgian finds, published in PNAS in November 2017, pushed the timeline of winemaking back by roughly 600 to 1,000 years, to approximately 5,980 BC.
What is a qvevri?: A qvevri is a large egg-shaped clay vessel, lined with beeswax and buried up to its neck in the ground, in which Georgian wine is fermented and aged. Traditional Georgian qvevri winemaking is recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
What does 5980bc mean?: Approximately 5,980 BC is the earliest date for winemaking yet found: grape wine made in clay jars in the Neolithic villages of Georgia. Our name marks that moment, and every bottle is a toast to where wine was born.
Where can I buy 5980bc?: 5980bc will be available in a limited number of restaurants and independent retailers across the UK. Register your interest and we will tell you where to find it first.
Can my restaurant or shop stock 5980bc?: Yes. We are choosing a small number of UK trade partners. Register your interest as a stockist and we will be in touch.