crusade winery
What is left of King Baldwin III's castle in Mi'ilya, near to where the winery was found.
(Image credit: Wikipedia / Wiki Commons)

The ancient winery was uncovered in the village of Mi’ilya in northern Israel, which was also the site of a castle built by King Baldwin III of Jerusalem in the 12th Century.

A woman who saw archaeologists working on the castle asked for a privately funded dig under her own house, and that is where the winery was discovered.

‘The Byzantines had much larger wineries,’ the paper quoted Rabei Khamisy, the archaeologist who led the excavation, as saying. ‘But the Crusaders had nothing comparable, as far as we know.’

A Roman-era pit was discovered next to the treading floors.

The owner of the house, Salma Assaf, has built a restaurant with a glass-panelled floor on top of the winery to attract tourists, said Haaretz.

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Hidden message reveals ancient soldiers’ thirst for wine

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Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.