Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 12

The Wine
Industry, Circa
500 CE
By JAMAL RAYYIS
C
hanging dramatically
the notion of the pre-modern
wine industries in the
Middle East, the Israel Antiquities
Authority announced in early
October the excavation of the
largest Byzantine winery yet discovered
in the world. The site is
outside the town of Yavne/Yibna,
about 20 miles south of Tel Aviv.
Likely constructed in the fifth or
sixth century CE in what was then
the Byzantine province of Palaestina
Prima, the planning and scale
of the complex stunned research12
WINE
& SPIR IT S
ers. While no records have been
found yet to show who owned or
built it, " This obviously wasn't
a small family business, " says
chief archaeologist Dr. Elie Haddad,
noting its potential annual
production capacity of 530,000
gallons (equivalent to 3,212,570
modern 750mL bottles).
As evidenced by the remains of
amphorae on site that match others
found in Gaza, 30 miles to the
south, the winery was clearly producing
for export and was likely a
significant source for the " Gaza "
D E c E mb ER 2021
wine that was once lauded in
Constantinople and around the
Mediterranean. (It was named
for the point of export, just as
the wines from Portugal's Douro
were named for the city of Porto.)
The winery's design includes five
large presses, fully symmetrical,
each 2,400 square feet in size, as
well as smaller ones, also in symmetry;
channels for free-flowing
juice; foot-treading pads; octagonal
stone fermentation vats; kilns
to manufacture amphorae, and
places to store them.
Yavne, founded by the Canaanites
around 2000 BCE, has been
the home of successive peoples
and civilizations. Indeed, before
the discovery of the current site
in 2019, grape pips, wine presses
and pottery from the Persian
period 2,300 years ago were found
nearby. Writings from Talmudic
texts speak of Jewish scholars
debating one another from vineyards
in Yavne during the second
WAS GAZA THE ORIGINAL
mEGAbRAND? THIS
FAcILITY PRODUcED THE
EQUIVALENT OF 268,000
cASES OF WINE PER YEAR.
century CE. Later, when the winery
was built, Yavne was a cosmopolitan
town, with a population
of Christians, Samaritans, pagans
and Jews. It isn't certain, at present,
what sort of wine was made at
Yavne or the grape varieties used,
but an analysis of grape pips and
amphora residue should provide
answers. According to ancient
sources, the wine from Gaza was
" white as snow, " but there's no
reason to doubt that a winery that
could produce on this scale might
also have had some good salespeople.
As for future discoveries, Dr.
Haddad is certain there are many
to be uncovered, but, he adds,
" I'm going to be working on this
for a very long time. " l
PHOTO BY DEBBIE HILL/ UPI/ SHUTTERSTOCK

Wine & Spirits - December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2021

Contents
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - Cover1
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - Cover2
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 1
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 2
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 3
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 4
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 5
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - Contents
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 7
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 8
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 9
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 10
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 11
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 12
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 13
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 14
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 15
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 16
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 17
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 18
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 19
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 20
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 21
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 22
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 23
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 24
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 25
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 26
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 27
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 28
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 29
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 30
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 31
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 32
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 33
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 34
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 35
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 36
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 37
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 38
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 39
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 40
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 41
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 42
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 43
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 44
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 45
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 46
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 47
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 48
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 49
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 50
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 51
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 52
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 53
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 54
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 55
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 56
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 57
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 58
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 59
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 60
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 61
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 62
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 63
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 64
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 65
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 66
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 67
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 68
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 69
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 70
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 71
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 72
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 73
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 74
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 75
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 76
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 77
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 78
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 79
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 80
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 81
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 82
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 83
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 84
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 85
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 86
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 87
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 88
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 89
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 90
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 91
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 92
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 93
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 94
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 95
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 96
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - Cover3
Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - Cover4
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