It is hard to say how long people have been drinking wine. Wine is far older than recorded history. Some experts say it is even as old as civilization itself. The first wine ever made was probably an accident. People in ancient times might have picked ripe grapes. Some juicy grapes at the bottom of the container were crushed together. As the grapes broke open, yeasts on the skins went to work turning sugar from the fruit into alcohol. This is the fermentation process that turns grape juice into wine. Wine was not just about having an enjoyable drink. It could be stored for future use. And, it was nutritious and often much safer to drink than water during early times. Some experts say that up until the 1600s in Europe, wine was one of the only prepared drinks. After that, wine had competition from beer, coffee and tea.