Grape Juice under the Sun

Wine Production in Palestine during Early Islam

Abstract

Many winepresses from archaeological contexts in Israel are dated to the Byzantine Period. Their use is dated as late as the eighth century AD. Archaeologists claim that the use of winepresses ceased with the Arab conquest of Palestine in the seventh century AD. This is because Islam prohibits the consumption of alcohol. Moreover, the purported termination of the relations with Byzantium led to the cessation of wine exportation. However, texts from the early centuries of Islam point to the production, distribution, and consumption of alcohol by various strata of society and by members of different religions (including Muslims). In addition, dating anew winepresses and similar installations from central Israel, based on construction techniques, pushes back the date of most of them. The dating results indicate changes in the installations typology from the seventh to the tenth century AD and imply a geographical extension of vine farming. In the tenth century, three types of installations existed in the same regions, designated perhaps to produce different grape-juice products. Perhaps one type produced a non- fermented juice which was then fermented in jars or cooked. The other types were winepresses which produced wine during early Islam.