Ancient Greece: Origins

Wine was important in Greek society from the earliest times, forming part of the Greek cultural identity. The Ancient Greeks were aware that other societies, such as the Babylonians in mesopotamia and the inhabitants of Ancient egypt, made and drank wine, but for them it was a luxury, and they normally drank beer (a drink disparaged by Greek writers as inferior and fit only for foreigners) or else ‘wine’ made from dates or lotus. Complete ignorance of viticulture was the mark of savages; so too was the drinking of undiluted wine, which was associated with northern barbarians such as the Scythians (in modern crimea).