Oldest Known Winery Established

Around 4100 BCE, a winemaking facility operated inside the Areni-1 cave complex in what is now Vayots Dzor Province, Armenia. Archaeologists excavating between 2007 and 2010 uncovered a wine press, a 60-centimeter-deep fermentation vat, storage jars, and desiccated grape remains identified as domesticated Vitis vinifera. Biochemical analysis confirmed malvidin residues — a red wine pigment — in the vessels. The winery's proximity to burial sites containing drinking cups suggests wine played a role in funerary rituals.