Mankind has been brewing alcoholic drinks since ancient times. Egyptians produced wine and beer for everyday consumption starting around 4,000 B.C., and by the Middle Ages, in Europe, many people drank ale or beer daily.
A number of modern breweries and vineyards started as part of a monastery where monks produced top-quality beer and wine both to drink and to sell, and then passed their recipes down to generations of fellow monks, before the brands were privatized or nationalized much later.
The following brands are among the oldest making and selling alcohol today, often under the ownership of the same families or companies that started them. Note: This isn’t a comprehensive list. The first eight brands on the list date to medieval times and are still made today. Brands later in the list, appearing from the 16th century on, were chosen for their unusual back stories and/or geographical diversity.
Chateau de Goulaine
Year founded: 930-1000 (exact date unknown)
Country: France
Specialty: Wine
Where you can buy it: Online and in select wine stores
In the 1100s, Jean de Goulaine built a fortified chateau in the Loire Valley on his his family’s estate and named it Chateau Goulaine. The family initially produced wine just for themselves, but eventually sold it under the name Chateau de Goulaine. The Goulaines, who were enobled in 1610, still own the business today, making their winery the oldest continually owned European family business.
Since 1984, the site has also been home to a butterfly aviary, with hundreds of tropical butterflies in glass conservatories. The late Marquis de Goulaine was a writer who published memoirs and novels, winning a literary prize, the Prix Renaudot, in 1996.
Weihenstephan
Year founded: 1040
Country: Germany
Specialty: Beer
Where you can buy it: Sold in stores across the United States and worldwide. Use the brewery’s product finder to search by zip codes for local outlets.
By 768, the monks at the Weihenstephan Monastery, high on a hill overlooking the medieval town of Friesing in modern-day Germany, had gained a reputation for beer making. In 1040, they received a license from the city to sell beer. Over the next 800 years, and through fires, invasions and plagues, the monks persevered and built a reputation as master brewers.
The brewery was nationalized in 1803 by the Bavarian Government and turned into a school for brewing and agriculture. Hundreds of brewmasters from around the world have learned the art of beer making here. The brand regularly wins silver and gold awards globally for their beers, which are sold worldwide.
Affligem
Year founded: 1074
Country: Belgium
Specialty: Beer
Where you can buy it: Select stores worldwide
In 1074, six knights decided to hand in their swords and become monks, and they built an Abbey in Affligem in modern-day Belgium. They learned to brew beer and, for 860 years, the monks persisted in making their beer, despite the abbey being destroyed twice.
During World War II, the German army stole the abbey’s copper kettles. For 15 years, the monks were unable to brew. In 1956, the abbey’s closely guarded beer recipes were handed to an outside brewing company, which makes the traditional Affligem beers to this day. The bottles and labels still keep the sword and cross keys design to show the monastic origin of the beers.
Frapin
Year founded: 1270
Country: France
Specialty: Cognac
Where you can buy it: Available online or from wine stores worldwide
The Frapin family began as wine growers, became distillers and still owns almost 600 acres of vineyards in France. The family line includes the great French Renaissance writer, Francois Rabelais. In 1885, the Frapin distillery began to win awards for their cognac, which it continues to win to this day.
In 1892, Gustave Eiffel, the creator of the Eiffel Tower, created the iron framework for the distillery buildings on the estate. In 2008, Frapin Cognac was voted “Best Spirit in the World” at the International Spirits Challenge, the first time a cognac had ever been chosen.
Marchesi Antinori
Year founded: 1385
Country: Italy
Specialty: Wine
Where you can buy it: Available in wine stores worldwide or online
In the 1200s, the Antinori family was involved in weaving and banking in Florence, before turning to winemaking in 1385. By 1506, the Antinori family was one of the richest in the region, producing 400 barrels of wine annually. In 1928, the Antinori family created its first Chianti wines, and in 1957, opened restaurants that pair wines with typical Tuscan dishes.
In 1997, an Antinori wine was picked as “Wine of the Year” by Wine Spectator magazine, the first Italian wine to ever win this recognition. The Antinori family still owns the business, twenty-six generations later.
