Wine, grape cultivation and wineries have been part of the oldest tradition in the province of Cádiz. Since the first Phoenician settlements, the inhabitants of this area have dedicated themselves to cultivating the grape vine. When it comes to something so old, many people wonder what the oldest winery or crops in the Occident zone are. What was the first winery?
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Wine context
Not all the wines created in the province of Cádiz are wines with the Sherry designation of origin. Only the vineyards in the municipalities of nine cities considers suitable can produce grapes for the Sherry´s production and Manzanilla wines.
Another important geographical delimitation is the so-called “Crianza Zone”, also known as the Jerez Triangle. Only in the cities of Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda have the aging process of the wines covered by the “Jerez-Xérès-Sherry” Designation of Origin completed. Therefore only in these cities are the so-called “Bodegas de Crianza”.
The archaeological site
“It is the most important discovery, so far, in the history of wine,” explains in an interview with Efe the professor of Prehistory Diego Ruiz Mata. In 1991, he and his team excavated the area of 2,000 square meters at the top of the mountain where this wine-producing center locate. It is the only one of this age that is preserved in its entirety.
Under the top of a mountain in the Sierra de San Cristóbal, in Cádiz, considere to be the oldest winery in Occident. The wine-producing center dated from the 3rd century BC that confirms how this drink had since its inception a religious sense.
Diego Ruiz directed the archaeological investigations of this town. He began in the eighties, when an area had already disappeared because the place had become a calcarenite stone quarry. As he explains, important archaeological remains could become part of the construction material with which, they made roads. This winery complex is part of the industrial area of the Phoenician town of Doña Blanca. Although the origin of the wine is earlier (it emerged in Africa in the Neolithic), this winery is the trace that it came to Europe: with the Phoenicians through areas like this of Cádiz.
The beginning of wine and winery
The professor explains that it was a highly successful and valuable drink, due to its flavor and its psychotropic side. They quickly found religious uses. “It was about man reaching a connection with divinity through delirium”. The wine soon replaced other psychotropic herbs that they used for this purpose.
It also had other social and commercial uses, always as a very exclusive drink. «There are estimates that in the 2nd BC a liter would fetch a price equivalent to 8,000 euros today. I don’t think it was worth that much, but it was a very rare commodity. There was no technology to produce a lot, so it was very expensive, it used in very special moments, “he adds.
Religion and winery
The three temples found in the winery of Doña Blanca have corroborated the relationships between religion and wine. They revealed rites that accompanied the entire production process, from the treading of the grapes to their aging in vessels. One of them contains an offering pit. There are numerous broken vessels and amphorae that had thrown there during ritual banquets have collected. Another sanctuary made grape-treading rituals. Another has a pool for libations. Betylos (sacred stones) have found in the ruins, representing the divine presence in the place.
The history hide in Cádiz is so extensive that we still have a thousand things to learn and discover. Knowing the history and traditions is the best way to connect with the land where you live or travel. If you want to know more about the history of Cádiz, contact us. We will teach what you want to know in a personalized tour, tailored to your ideal measure, just for you.