Who were some of the first people ever to make wine? Images of ancient people of the Caucasus or France might come to mind. But what if we told you that wine was being made in ancient Japan, around the same time--or even earlier--than it was in the Caucuses? And even before sake was being made in Japan? Reporter Hannah Kirshner investigates.

You can read Hannah's article on the history of winemaking in Japan for Food & Wine, and her latest book is Water, Wood, and Wild Things: Learning Craft and Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain Town. Eric C. Rath’s latest book is Oishii: The History of Sushi. Edward Slingerland’s is Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization.

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