The history of the grapes that give us today’s wines extends far beyond the history of the human species. Scientists tracing fossilized grape seeds have found examples in Indian excavations dating back to the time of the dinosaurs. This means we know that vines existed on Earth approximately 67 million years ago.s

An article published in early July revealed to the public the oldest grape seed ever discovered in the Americas. It was stated that the seed is 60 million years old, and although the vine that bore this grape lived in this region at that time, it later disappeared. Academics interpreting this information presented us with a hypothesis that excites everyone.

It is now widely accepted in scientific circles that the greatest extinction in our planet’s past, about 60 million years ago, was related to an asteroid impact on Earth. This great disaster almost wiped out plant life and created a dark period, and as a result, the era of dinosaurs which ruled the planet for millions of years, also came to an end. But just as every period has an end, so did the dark period, and the world began to flourish again. In this era of renewed vegetation, new tropical forests emerged. Scientists believe that trees not destroyed by dinosaurs created an opportunity for climbing vines to grow. They suggest that birds, which are considered the evolved descendants of certain dinosaur species, played a crucial role in spreading seeds to different regions, potentially allowing vines to spread over a vast geography.

In other words, as always, one’s disaster becomes another’s fortune. In the places vacated by the dinosaurs, which vanished from the stage of history, trees and climbing vines found life. Over the millions of years that followed, mammals evolved and flourished, among which our ancestors, the Homo group, found the opportunity to thrive. Our species, later named Homo sapiens, developed basic skills that allowed the world to transform into its current state and discovered ways to process the fruit of the vine, grapes, introducing us to wine.

Fabiany Herrera and Monica Carvalho have given us new excitement with the fossilized grape seeds they found in the Western Hemisphere. Since we don’t know what other secrets the world has yet to share with us, this is the latest excitement for now. Tomorrow, we may talk about completely different things with new findings that emerge. But isn’t that what science is all about? The most reliable information for now, until we find something more reliable.