Wine was first produced over 6000 years ago in the ancient middle-east by the Assyrians who were the first to cultivate the grape vine vitis vinifera, (wine bearing) in Latin.
             It spread to Mesopotamia where the first records of wine making were found. From there, to Egypt and the Mediterranean, the Greeks, Cretans and Egyptians established wine industries for both local consumption and export. By 1000BC the Greeks had introduced wine to Sicily and Italy and from here it spread with the Roman Empire throughout Europe. The close association Christianity had with wine enabled the industry to grow more, even through the dark ages as the religious community produced large quantities of wine for ceremonial and sacramental purposes. In the 1600s new techniques were evolved that further improved the quality of wine by French vintners, including grape selection and breeding as well as the concept of using new barrels after each vintage instead of reusing the same ones. From Europe wine spread into the colonies. The first wines produced in North America were in San Diego by Franciscan priests. Australia saw its first vines in 1790s and had well established wine regions by the 1890s.
             In comparison to the world history of wine The New Zealand wine industry has barely past conception but has grown enormously over the last forty years and produces some of the highest quality wines in the world, demanding a premium price wherever they are sold. The New Zealand wine industry has faced many setbacks and the success of the industry is a result of the hard work, perseverance and innovative spirit of the growers and vintners.
             The first vines were planted in Keri Keri in 1819 by the Rev. Samuel Marsden however the first wine known to be produced was not until 18401 by J. Busby in the Bay of Islands. As New Zealand was colonised many of the immigrants were vintners in their homelands and so it was only natural to their skills and knowledge an...