Alcohol/Wine: What are the historical and scriptural facts about fermented drinks in the Bible?
It is commonly supposed that in Bible times, all preserved grape juice inevitably fermented, thus many assume that all mention of "wine" in the Bible refers to the alcoholic beverage commonly called "wine" today. However, ancient civilizations had several ways of protecting fruits and fruit juices from fermentation, and thus of having non-alcoholic wine throughout the year.
Boiling the grape (or other fruit) juice and reducing it to a syrup that could then be diluted
Boiling the juice with minimum evaporation and sealing it airtight with beeswax (anaerobically) in jars.
Drying the fruit in the sun, and then reconstituting it to use the fluid for wine.
Filtration to exclude gluten.
Addition of sulphur to the fruit juice, a process that prevents fermentation.
All these methods of preservation were known to the ancients, who also practiced boiling fermented juice to eliminate the alcohol. Referring to the first method of preparation, Aristotle (b. 384 B.C.) wrote "The wine of Arcadia was so thick that it was necessary to scrape it from the skin bottles in which it was contained, and to dissolve the scrapings in water." Nott's Lectures on Biblical Temperance, p. 80.
The poet Horace (65 B.C.) wrote, "There is no wine sweeter to drink than that of Lesbos; it was like nectar, … and would not produce intoxication."
"The Mishna states that the Jews were in the habit of drinking boiled wine" (Kitto's Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature, vol. 2, p. 447). Naturally this wine would be entirely alcohol-free as a result of the boiling, if not also from the manner of preservation.
"Albert Barnes, D. D., [Presbyterian] in his commentary on Jn. 2:10, wrote: "The wine of Judea was the pure juice of the grape, without any mixture of alcohol. It was the common drink of the people and did not produce intoxication."
Adam Clarke [Methodist] in his famous Bible Commentary wrote in reference to Gen. 40:11: "From this we find that wine anciently was the mere expressed juice of the grape without fermentation. The saky, or cupbearer, took the bunch [of grapes], pressed the juice into the cup, and instantly delivered it into the hands of his master. This was anciently the yayin of the Hebrews, the oinos of the Greeks, and the mustum of the ancient Latins." Clarke's historic note accords with the Scripture that declares "… the new wine is found in the cluster and one says Hurt not the wine when it is in the cluster, for there is a blessing in it." Isa. 65:8.