Was There Alcohol in Jesus’ Wine? ‘The Chosen’ Takes the World on a ‘First Century Wine Tasting’

“The Chosen” has brought the world five of its seven seasons of the series depicting the life of Jesus from the perspectives of those who knew him, and the series creators are also giving the world a glimpse behind the scenes. In “More To The Story,” fans learn background information, biblical and cultural context, and the results of extensive research that goes into writing the scripts. This time, viewers learn more about the wine of Jesus’ time.

“What did the everyday wine of Jesus’ day actually taste like?” asked the Amber Shana Williams, who plays Tamar in “The Chosen,” in the July 6 episode of “More To The Story.”

‘The Chosen’ Shares That the Wine of Jesus’ Time Was ‘Functional’

Wine is mentioned around 200 times in the Bible. But how was it different than the wine produced today? Season 5, Episode 6, of “The Chosen” depicts Passover week and the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. A clip of the episode shows Jesus talking to his disciples at the Last Supper.

“Normally, the wine allows us to remember and celebrate the blood of the lamb spread on the doorposts of our ancestors,” Jesus says in the episode. “But tonight likewise, this is my blood of the New Covenant shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

“For the most part, the purpose of wine was as much functional as it was celebratory,” Williams said.

Long before the days of Brita pitchers and water filtration, people in biblical times often fell ill from drinking contaminated water. Germs contaminated the water, but people from Jesus’ time knew that “a little wine could make the water more drinkable.”

“It wasn’t like Jesus and the disciples were doing guided wine tastings with a sommelier and partying all hours of the night,” said Williams. “Well, not all hours.” Research has shown that wine in ancient times was often watered down to contain only 2-3% alcohol.

“The Chosen” creators continued to ask, “While we know vino was a staple of the Mediterranean world, have you ever wondered why? And what it was actually like?”

Williams explained that ancient wine wasn’t quite as refined as the wine produced today. She said red wines would have been simple, tannic, and acidic—with sediment left over.

White wine was incredibly rare and had a more amber color. Clay pots were used to house and age white wine only for a few months to prevent spoilage. Often, only the incredibly wealthy had access to white wines.

Ancient winemakers used many ingredients—including herbs, spices, honey, raisins, and dates—and other components such as “chalk, marble dust, and even egg whites” were added to reduce the acidity of wine.