There were some perks to being emperor in ancient Rome: authority over a mighty empire, vast riches, the right to distribute free grain and, apparently, your own private winery. A paper published today in Antiquity (“The Spectacle of Production: A Roman Imperial Winery at the Villa of the Quintilii, Rome”) offers new insight into an exceptionally royal Roman winemaking complex dating to the 3rd century A.D.
In their paper, researchers Emlyn Dodd of the British School at Rome, Macquarie University and University of London and Giuliana Galli and Riccardo Frontoni of the Italian Ministry of Culture explain that in 2017, archaeologists uncovered a winery at the Villa of the Quintilii near Rome, a ruined manse with imperial connections. The brick complex featured a trodding area, two presses, a must vat and channels connecting them to a cellar filled with storage jars.
While the layout is typical, the site stands out for its “colored and decorative architecture,” Dodd explained to Wine Spectator via email. “It is the only ancient winery (or production facility for any commodity really) so far known that possesses this extreme degree of theatricality and luxury.”
For instance, while Romans usually covered trodding floors with a waterproof concrete known as cocciopesto (sounds better than it tastes), they used red breccia marble at this winery, a sumptuous yet inconveniently slick choice. Decorated dining rooms surrounded the cellar, adding to the grandeur and offering mealtime views of wine production.
There’s no telling what wines were made, but Dodd suggests there may have been multiple styles, including a higher-quality wine made from trodded grapes and a lower-quality one made from pressed pomace. “Analysis on the cellar and production areas might help to illuminate the chemical characteristics of the wines and grapes,” Dodd observed.
In short, this is a special site. There’s only one other that even compares: the winery at Villa Magna in Italy’s Lazio region. Like the Quintilii villa, it was likely the stage for what Dodd, Galli and Frontoni refer to as “theatrical elite production,” winemaking that emphasized links between agriculture and power.
Real politics surrounded the Quintilii villa too. Near the end of the 2nd century, emperor Commodus (later fictionalized as the villain in Gladiator) had the powerful Quintilii brothers killed; their estates, including the villa, became imperial property. It was likely emperor Gordian III, his name stamped into the winery’s must vat, who built or possibly renovated the wine facility. “How long the winery was in use is impossible to tell at this point,” Dodd explained. “Hopefully future excavations will unravel these questions.”
While research is ongoing, Dodd explained that this discovery enhances our understanding of a less-studied part of Roman history and offers a clearer picture of just how luxurious elite life and agriculture could be then. “[It] adds crucial new information to how the emperor, his family and court engaged with wine production and dining.”
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