ANCIENT DISCOVERY IN THE RHÔNE

A historic wine find has been unearthed as a group of French archaeologists have discovered an ancient 2,000 year-old winery on a plot of land set to become a parking lot in the Rhône Valley’s Drôme department. The Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Preventives (INRAP), overseen by France’s Ministry of Culture, began its dig near the town of Laveyron in the Rhône’s Drôme department last May and discovered the ancient winery. The ruins were uncovered on a site set to become a heavy goods vehicle parking lot for a manufacturer of recycled paper. Evidence of ceramic terracotta vessels commonly used for winemaking and amphora fragments were found. Initial analysis suggests that the winery could date back to the first century AD. However, there is evidence that the site could be built on top of even older infrastructures.
INRAP operations and research manager Pascale Réthoré noted that the site “probably already had a small infrastructure dedicated to wine”. Later, Romans are assumed to have expanded the winery, which featured presses, cellars and basins for collecting grape juice. The winery would likely have grown with commercial success, helped by its proximity to the Rhône River. Excavations will finish in January. However, development is set to continue at the site after archaeologists complete their excavations and researchers finish studying all evidence, meaning the ancient site could still be destroyed. If the developers proceed, they will indeed be paving paradise to put up a parking lot.