Photo Courtesy: E. H. Cline G.W.U.

I have often asked my friends if they thought the quality of wines produced now have improved with the advent of modern technology or if the wines of centuries ago made by monks and kings were superior.  Since the ancient wines have disappeared long ago we can only speculate on their taste profiles.  With the discovery of a Canaanite palace in Israel we now have a glimpse into the chemical composition of ceremonial wines reserved for the select few within the palace walls.  The findings of a team from George Washington University suggests through careful lab analysis that a sophisticated process was used in the production of the wine that once filled the 40 thirteen gallon ceramic jars found.  Signs of a wine that was blended with honey, mint, cedar, tree resin and cinnamon bark were found in the jars although no liquid remained.  A program of quality control must have been followed because the results remained consistent for all 40 vessels tested.  This discovery sheds new light on the development of winemaking in Canaan, which then spread to Egypt and across the Mediterranean.  This finding also vindicates my opinion that wine should be enjoyed now and not be saved for some special occasion because look at what happened in Canaan.  What a waste of good wine!