Dr. Patrick McGovern, known as the ‘Indiana Jones of ancient wine’, passed away at the age of 80 on August 23, 2025. He was a prominent biomolecular archaeologist, recognized for his extensive research on ancient alcoholic beverages, particularly wines and beers.
McGovern served as the Scientific Director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Project for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages, and Health at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia, where he also held the position of Adjunct Professor of Anthropology. His career spanned over 50 years, 30 of which were at the Penn Museum, solidifying his role as a pioneering figure in the field of biomolecular archaeology and archaeological residue analysis.
Throughout his career, McGovern was instrumental in dating and identifying ancient beverages from archaeological sites. Notably, he successfully identified the oldest known alcoholic drink, a mix of rice and honey found in 9,000-year-old pottery in China, as well as the earliest evidence of wine, which was unearthed from 8,000-year-old pottery in Georgia.
His investigative work extended beyond dating; he also focused on trace remains of purple dye used by the Phoenicians, and he discovered evidence of wine and beer production in ancient Iran, effectively proving that wine was made in the Fertile Crescent over 7,000 years ago.
McGovern published numerous academic papers and authored two significant books on ancient alcohol: Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture and Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages. His experimental archaeology endeavors included recreating ancient brews, famously collaborating with Dogfish Head Brewery in the early 2000s to recreate ancient drinks based on his research, such as ‘Midas Touch’ and an ancient Peruvian cacao-based beverage.
His first experience with winemaking came in 1971, when he and his wife participated in the harvest of a celebrated vintage in Germany’s Mosel Valley. McGovern once shared in an interview that if he could choose a beverage for his own tomb, it would be a Mosel Riesling from that vintage, describing it as “an elixir, something out of this world.”
He is survived by his wife, Doris.