The wild grape never grew in ancient Egypt. But a thriving royal winemaking industry had been established in the Nile Delta by at least Dynasty 3, the beginning of the Old Kingdom period.
Viticulture and winemaking scenes are depicted on the walls of the ancient Egyptian private tombs from the Old Kingdom (2575-2150 BC) through the Graeco-Roman times (332 BC-395 AD).
Wine was often an important item in funerary and temple cults. From as early as the Old Kingdom, wine was regularly mentioned in offering lists as part of the funerary establishment.
During the 18th dynasty (1550-1295 B.C.) scenes of winemaking became a common motif in the tombs of Theban officials.
During the New Kingdom Period (1539-1075 BC), wine jars (amphorae) were inscribed in hieratic to indicate: the vintage year, the name of the product (irp or shedeh), the quality, the provenance, the property (royal or private) and the name and title of the wine-maker.
Wine in ancient Egypt was predominantly red. The Egyptian mythology related the wine only to the red color, and no textual references to white wine–or to red wine.
The first mention of white wine in Egypt is from Athenaeus of Naucratis, who lived during the 3rd century BC, in his book The Deipnosophistae, where he explains that Mareotis wine, in the area of the lake Mariut near the city of Alexandria, was “excellent, white and enjoyable, aromatic…”
Wine in ancient Egypt
