Why Was the Wine of the Negev So Renowned in the Byzantine Empire

press release February 12, 2015

In a joint study by the University of Haifa and the Israel Antiquities Authority at the Byzantine city of Halutza (Elusa), 1,500 year-old grape seeds originating from the Negev Desert have been found for the first time. This variety of grape did not survive to present days. \”Our next task is to recreate the ancient wine and perhaps we will then be able to reproduce its taste and understand what made the wine of the Negev so fine,\” said the excavation director, Prof. Guy Bar-Oz of the University

Newswise — For the first time, grape seeds from the Byzantine era have been found. These grapes were used to produce \”the Wine of the Negev\” — one of the finest and most renowned wines in the whole of the Byzantine Empire. The charred seeds, over 1,500 years-old, were found at the Halutza excavation site in the Negev during a joint dig by the University of Haifa and the Israel Antiquities Authority. \”The vines growing in the Negev today are European varieties, whereas the Negev vine was lost to the world. Our next job is to recreate the ancient wine, and perhaps in that way we will be able to reproduce its taste and understand what made the Negev wine so fine,\” said Prof. Guy Bar-Oz of the University of Haifa, director of the excavation.