I) One theory is that cultivation of the grape originated in the area around the Caspian sea. II) Having no direct connection with the other seas, the Caspian Sea is also regarded as a lake. III) From there grape growing spread to neighbouring areas of Asia Minor, then to Greece, and from Greece to Sicily. IV) The Phoenicians took the grape into France, and the Romans planted grapes in Germany and England. V) At the same time as grape cultivation spread into the west, grapes were carried into the East by way of India.