Grapes were later used in distillation in Spain in A.D. 1200 and in France in A.D. 1300. The distillation process was also applied to oats in Ireland in A.D. 1100 and to barley in Scotland in A.D. 1500. Fermentation Before the advent of widespread distillation , alcoholic beverages were the product of fermentation . Even so, widespread distribution and commercialization of alcoholic wine did not occur until popularized by the Greek civilization. Likewise, the Roman Empire fostered the growth of that industry by planting vineyards in Europe and North Africa.
Wine production dates from at least the earliest known history.
Perhaps the earliest vineyards were cultivated between 6000 and 4000 BC, and wine was known by 3000 BC in Mesopotamia. The ancient Egyptians produced wine, but the ancient Greeks first developed viticulture, or the cultivation of grapes, on a commercial scale. As addressed elsewhere in this series, grape juice also can be preserved in a number of ways from souring before it ferments. In Palestine, especially before the introduction of distillation there, it was common to take measures to preserve the grape juice before it fermented. Distillation, as cited below, is merely one way of preventing spoilage of grape juice.