I was stunned when I first learned that fossilized vines dated back 60 million years. But then I remembered something essential about this plant: unlike many others, the vine can adapt to almost any type of soil. Its continued survival across shifting geological eras is living proof of that.

LET’S REVISIT THE HISTORY OF THE VINE

According to paleontologists, fossil records show that vines emerged in two separate regions of the planet around the same time—India and Central America. The Indian fossils were discovered earlier, while those from Central America came to light only recently through a paper published last year.

This discovery links directly to a pivotal moment in geological history: the mass extinction event caused by an asteroid impact 66 million years ago, which led to the end of the dinosaurs. When the planet emerged from that dark age, one of the species that flourished in the new conditions was the vine.

The vine’s ability to survive and spread across the world over the last 60 million years is a testament to its adaptability. Since its earliest ancestors, around 80 distinct branches of the Vitis family have emerged—one of them being Vitis vinifera, the family we feel most connected to.

THE VINE’S JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

Over the course of its long life, the vine had two indispensable companions: birds and trees. 

Birds—descendants of dinosaurs—were among the few species to adapt to the planet’s post-extinction environment. They’ve always been drawn to grapes, and in return, helped the vine spread by carrying seeds far and wide.

Trees, on the other hand, offered vines a ladder to the sun. With their climbing, tendril-rich nature, vines used trees as scaffolding to access the light they needed to turn water and nutrients into life force.

And this very partnership brings us to our subject today:

VITE MARRITATA — MARRIED VINES

Biology has a word for co-existence: symbiosis. It refers to the mutually dependent relationship between different species. While this term entered scientific vocabulary only 150 years ago, the concept itself has existed for millions of years—and may have been practiced by humans since the dawn of agriculture.In fact, we still see living examples today: vines intentionally planted next to trees, climbing and wrapping themselves around their trunks.

There’s also a protective logic to this. A vine wrapped around a tree is likely to live as long as the tree itself isn’t cut down. While people may prune or remove a vine with little hesitation, cutting down a tree is a more serious decision. And for the vine, this offers a greater chance of survival.

WHERE DID THEY THRIVE?

Historical records show that tree-climbing vines were widespread during the Etruscan period in Italy. Today, we tend to associate vineyards with neatly ordered rows. Those with a more traditional background might recall “gobelet” vines, trained low to the ground. 

But the Etruscans—who ruled pre-Roman Italy for nearly a thousand years—gave viticulture its roots in the Mediterranean. And this was also the time when married vines thrived.

We owe the global spread of vine and wine to the Romans, who inherited and internalized Etruscan practices. Grapes from vines entwined around trees were turned into wine and continued to fill glasses for centuries.

Later in the Roman era, we begin to see vines trained not on trees, but on stakes driven into the ground. This shift allowed viticulture to expand across larger areas, and ushered in the beginnings of modern vineyard practices: regular spacing, structured rows, and controlled pruning. 

After the fall of Rome, it was monasteries that carried the vine’s legacy forward. Married vines became more symbolic than practical. Controlled production techniques—low-wire systems, short pruning methods, and bush-trained vines—took center stage.

MARRIED VINES TODAY

In Italy, married vines are preserved as part of cultural heritage. In the Campania region, the local grape variety Aspirinio is still grown this way. Harvesting requires tall ladders resting against the trees.

In the Caucasus—across Georgia, Armenia, Iran, and Azerbaijan—viticulture took root and evolved. While documentation is scarce, we may yet encounter living examples of tree-trained vines in these regions.

And what about Anatolia? This land is where wild grapevines were first domesticated. It has played a central role in every major milestone of viticulture and winemaking. That holds true for married vines as well—we do have living examples right here.

TWO PRODUCERS KEEPING THE TRADITION ALIVE: NEFERİYE AND KERASUS

Neferiye is a small-scale producer based in Muğla. Çağlar works with the grapes Panık and Kanlıkara, harvested from married vines still growing in high villages near Köyceğiz.

Kerasus, on the other hand, continues this work in the Black Sea region. Guided by Gizem, they’ve followed examples that include Isabella and Narince. It’s worth noting that Isabella belongs to a different vine family—Vitis labrusca—but its presence adds another layer to the story.

A FINAL WORD

Viticulture is an act of devotion, and devotion begins in the vineyard. Over the last 10,000 years, viticulture has gone through many transformations before arriving at its modern form. Married vines may be a part of our cultural heritage, but we are only now beginning to recognize it as such.

To Gizem and Çağlar—our heartfelt thanks for continuing this labor of love and sharing it with us through their remarkable wines.