Vine cultivation can be traced back to prehistoric people living in the region between the Caspian and Black Seas some 6000 years ago. Viticulture and winemaking were well established in Egypt by 2000 BC. For cultural and climatic reasons, wine grape cultivation spread mainly to the west into Greece, Italy, France and Germany. As the Roman Empire expanded, so did winemaking. Wine became an integral part of Christian religious ceremonies and as Christianity spread, monks took responsibility for grapegrowing and winemaking. Over time, social enjoyment of wine grew, and nobles increasingly took over winemaking duties.
From Western Europe, winemaking spread around the globe with the Spanish introducing winemaking to South America in the 1500s, the Dutch establishing vines in South Africa around 1655, Jesuit missionaries planting vineyards in North America in the 1700s, the British taking vines to Australia in 1788 and the French introducing winemaking to New Zealand in the early 1800s.
