What would Jesus drink?

But we do know that in Jesus’ day, wine was being produced in Galilee and modern-day Jordan, says archaeologist Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum. And vino of that era came laced with additives like tree resins, peppers and capers, says McGovern, who is known as the “Indiana Jones” of ancient fermented beverages for his scholarship on the topic.

“The idea was not just to cover up the signs of a deteriorating wine, although that was an added incentive, but to keep the wines for a longer time and produce new, exciting tastes for jaded palates,” says McGovern.

Students in Alsop’s class inquire about taste and texture, but they also raise two frequently debated questions surrounding ancient wine: Was it safer to drink than water, and was it alcoholic?

We asked McGovern, who is not involved in Alsop’s class. McGovern says the antioxidants found in the additives and alcohol killed harmful microorganisms, so wine was much safer than raw, unfiltered water. And it certainly had a boozy kick: Fermentation is a process that occurs naturally when yeasts residing on the skin of the grapes consume the sugar in the fruit and create alcohol.