The oldest fermented beverage known is a 9,000-year-old rice and honey wine identified on pottery shards from the village of Jiahu in central China.

But winemaking likely dates back much further than the archaeological record indicates—perhaps deep into the Paleolithic period—and its origins may have less to do with our pleasure centers than with our quest to develop medicines.

~scientificamerican.com

As much as the tasting, wine is about culture and the history of humankind, holding interest for connoisseur and hobbiest alike.