A surprising archaeological discovery: prehistoric grape seeds.

Until recently, it was believed, based on written sources about the area, that grapes were cultivated over two thousand years ago. The latest archaeological excavations in the cellar of a prehistoric site, on the grounds of today’s Štanjel Castle Wine Shop, uncovered surprising discoveries³, pushing back the timeline by at least five centuries. Researchers found charred seeds and fruits in the archaeological layers. Particularly intriguing were numerous charred grape seeds from domesticated vines, dating to the early 4th century BCE. Among the finds were also fragments of a ceramic silo bearing a so-called Venetic inscription, currently the oldest known ceramic inscription in Slovenia. Archaeo-metric studies suggest that the vessel was locally made and, based on traces of alcohol and the abundance of seeds, was used for processing rather than storing wine. These valuable discoveries attest that winemaking existed in the Karst in prehistoric times, specifically at the end of the Early Iron Age.

Teran’s reputation through the ages.

Researchers of Teran’s history continue to be intrigued by Roman author and scholar Pliny the Elder's (23–79 CE) mention of the Pucino wine as “…the blackest of all wines… grown in the Gulf of the Adriatic Sea, not far from the stony hill of the source of Timavo…” He even noted that Livia, the wife of Emperor Augustus, credited this wine for her longevity. While the mystery remains, most historians today agree that Pliny was indeed describing Teran.

Throughout the centuries, Teran was highly appreciated and sought after. In the 13th century, farmers in the Trieste region could pay taxes to rulers and landlords with wine, Teran and Rebula specifically. By the 15th century, the origin of the name Teran was already being discussed, and from the 17th to the early 20th century, writers documenting viticulture in the region consistently mentioned Teran as an important and distinct wine. In the late 19th century phylloxera devastated vineyards across the region, and the slow recovery was disrupted by two world wars. Yet, Teran’s reputation never faded. With vineyard restoration efforts at the close of the 20th century, Teran experienced a revival.

³doc. dr. Manca Vinazza, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Archaeology