Ancient Wine Cellar Found in Israel

Samples found in ceramic jars in a 3,700-year-old cellar in the ruins of a Canaanite palace reveal that fine winemaking has been a sophisticated art for millenia. Researchers call the finding significant.

The 40 jars, all found in one room, each held about 13 gallons.  The quantity suggests it was not sufficient for the general population.  More likely it was used for palace banquets.

Testing revealed a blend of ingredients that may have included honey, mint, cedar, tree resins and cinnamon bark in the red wine, and possibly white wine.  Indications are that this was the really good wine set aside for use in the summer palace located near the modern Israeli town of Nahariya.   Chemical analysis showed that all the wine was made from the same recipe, another indication that it was reserved for palace use.

The discovery was made last summer.  Scientists Andrew Koh of Brandeis University, Eric Cline of George Washington University and Assaf Yasur-Landau of the University of Haifa in Israel presented their work at the annual meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research in Baltimore, November 22, 2013.