Grape growing history is basically dated ever since Neolithic periods and we do have proof that people were refining grapes then to make wine. It does sprend till modern times from around the year 5 BC. Georgia is famous for having the oldest ever VItis vinifera domestication. In 3200 BC, during the early Bronze Age there has been historic evidence of grape culturing.
During early cultivations Vitis vinifera, a hermaphrodite species, was preferred when compared to female and male vines that had dependencies when thinking about pollination. Hermaphordite vines showed the abbility to basically pollinate themselves.
Phoenicians basically first started using various viticulture practices. Carthage eventually saw these practices used later on in time. You can also find a lot of details about viticulture thanks to Mago and his 28 volume manuscript. This is one manuscript that did manage to make it through the Roman Empire's Carthage artifacts destruction attempts in the third Punic War and today gives us much info about the history of growing grapes.
Inspired by these scripts, Roman statesman Cato de Elder, wrote De Agra Cultura in 160 BC which described the viticulture and agriculture of the Romans. De Re Rustica, written by Columella, talked a lot about the Roman viticulture. The first ever mentioning of the use of trellils for grape wine support appeared in Columella writings.
Also, he talks about an earlier trend that saw vines being trained to grow on trunks of trees and personal reasons why stakes are favored in term of using stakes to gain support. Columella preferred stakes over trunks because climbing trees for pruning the thick vegetation was very dangerous. As vegetation thickness stopped proper sunlight exposure for the vines pruning became essential.
World famous wine-growing regions like the Spanish Rioja, the German Mosel, and the French Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone came into picture when Roman Empire spread into Western Europe and made famous their viticulture too.
Roman viticulturists were the pioneers in identifying steep hillsides as ideal locations for growing grapevines. They understood that cold air always travelled down from the hill top to the valley. Grapevines were harmed by large exposures to cold air and this directly interfered with the photosynthesis process, thus affecting plant food.
Catholic monks emerged as prominent viticulturists during the middle Ages. They introduced cru vineyards, which basically produced similar vintage wines. Around this time we saw the development of the Metayage system in France and laborers started working lands on a contract basis. Landlords gave laborers choice rights in choosing grape types that would have been grown.
The middle age practices did last till around the 18th century. Some studies were conducted so that people will see compatibility levels between localities and different grapevines. During this period we saw many conflicts linked with quantity. Wealthy and powerful landlords wanted quality as this offered good wine. Laborers did think about quantity too because this gave them more money.
Grape growing history started around the year 5 BC and appeared in Europe thanks to the Roman Empire, which brought it from Greece. The vineyards modern culture appeared thankst to Catholic Monks. There are many places that have proof that viticulture was even popular in ancient times.
