Researchers have found 8000-year-old pottery in Georgia that contains remnants of wine compounds, making it the earliest evidence found thus far of wine production. For you Americans reading this, don’t get too excited by the title — it’s actually the European country of Georgia we’re talking about here.

The jars, which had images of grape clusters and a man dancing on them, were found in two sites south of the Georgian capital Tiblisi. Previously, the oldest evidence of wine making was 7,000 years-old pottery found in Iran.

Co-author of the research, Stephen Batiuk, told BBC: "We believe this is the oldest example of the domestication of a wild-growing Eurasian grapevine solely for the production of wine. Wine is central to civilization as we know it in the West. As a medicine, social lubricant, mind-altering substance and highly valued commodity, wine became the focus of religious cults, pharmacopoeias, cuisines, economies and society in the ancient Near East."

Couldn’t agree more, Stephen. Cheers to some really old wine!

Photo via Flickr user gabe.lorka