Commandaria, produced in Cyprus, is frequently lauded as the oldest wine in the world with a name. A bit of an odd designation but then identifying the oldest wine would be impossible. Wild grape vines have grown around the Mediterranean for millennia, though the oldest scientifically identifiable traces of wine on pottery come from the area between the Caspian and Black Seas and date back 8000 years. As the technology develops more may be identified as archaeology continues to rewrite history. And undoubtedly the first wines were accidental (and not likely to be too impressive). Wine production came somewhat later.
But Commandaria is old. References to a sweet Cypriot wine go back to the eighth century BCE, probably referring to Commandaria. And it was served at the wedding of Richard the Lionheart in the twelfth century. (He had somewhat accidentally conquered Cyprus when he was shipwrecked there on his way to the third crusade). Not usually a fan of sweet wines but as a dessert wine it’s quite nice, rather like a decent port.
However, the Commandaria of old was not what is produced today. By the Venetian regime in the fifteenth century Commandaria was exported throughout Europe where port and sherry were already popular. However, once Cyprus came under the Ottoman Empire wine production went into decline although people continued to make it for personal consumption. Muslims were not supposed to drink alcohol and regarded wine sales merely as a good method of raising taxes. Once the British were back in control in the 19th century Commandaria was in production for export again. But by then the ancient techniques had been lost. The British adapted techniques from fortified wines and aged the wine in previously unknown oak barrels. It’s good, and it achieved a protected designation of origin, but it was then required to consistently meet the same strict criteria of the British era.
Now some brave winemakers are attempting to make the traditional wine using large clay pitharia, some as much as three hundred years old, and trying to recreate the traditional techniques. An experiment in its early stages, but should be interesting.