When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Needless to say, when it came to wine, I drank nothing but the Italian stuff during my three night city break in the ancient capital last week. With further reading (I love Lonely Planet), I discovered Rome and the Roman Empire played an important role in the history of wine.

Whilst it may have been the Ancient Greeks who brought wine to Italy, it was the Romans who developed much of the techniques and technology still used in wine making today. Would you believe me if I told you that the vintage of 121 BC (Opimian Vintage) was regarded as an excellent year for wine and that it was still being drank over 100 years later? Well, that’s what I read. I suppose there’s a good chance it’s not a myth.

Just before the start of the decline of the Empire, around about 300 BC, the Romans had colonised most of modern day Western Europe, as well as much of the East. Just as they brought health care, sanitation and infrastructure (just to name a few), they helped pave the way for quality wine production in the likes of France and Spain. Agricultural tools, such as pruning knives, have been found near Roman garrison posts in Germany (Germania), with the first definitive record of wine production dating back to 370 AD. In work by Ausonius, titled Mosella, he described vibrant vineyards along the Mosel.

So what did the Romans ever do for us? The attached video really says it all.