Vintage resurrection using Avdat's pips

ARCHAEOBOTANY: Experts restore Israel's ancient desert wine industry using Byzantine grapes. In a groundbreaking revival of ancient tradition, Israeli researchers and vintners harvest 1,500-year-old Byzantine grape varieties from a restored vineyard in Avdat National Park, aiming to recreate the famed Negev wine once exported across Europe (Ilana Curiel, Ynet News).

During the Byzantine era, the Negev was a global hub for wine production, with historians marveling at its desert vineyards. In September 2023, the heritage vineyard at Avdat was inaugurated, planted with seeds over 1,000 years old, aiming to revive this ancient tradition.

Researchers from the University of Haifa, studying the collapse of the Byzantine Empire, discovered grape seeds in a sealed cave at the Avdat archaeological site years ago. Determined to resurrect what was once considered the world’s finest wine, they identified the genetic traits of these ancient vines, setting the stage for this ambitious project.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the site of Avdat in the Negev, which flourished from the Nabatean (Nabataean) era into the Byzantine era, start here and follow the links. For posts on the Byzantine-era grape pips recovered there, presumably the ones used in this project, see here and links.

For other efforts at vintage resurrection, see here and follow the links.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.