2023-04-17 13:05:05
Time.news – The factory of vino a kilometer zero was born with ancient romans. A Villa of the Quintilii – one of the largest residential complexes of imperial Rome lying on the Via Appia Antica – the nectar of the gods was consumed without stopping and directly.
The pressing of the grapes, the press, the fermentation. The wort that flowed from the fountains. And the emperor who – as in the theater – enjoyed the show. The wine traveled from the tanks along lead pipes and then made its way towards a ‘network’ of taps. And the glasses were emptied in record time.
Commodus and the ‘city of pleasures’
Pomace and presses. Fountains and marbles. Glitz and sustainability. A perfect example of “circular economy” among the luxuries of the mini-city modeled by the emperor Conveniently as residence of Pleasure. It was Commodus himself (reigned AD 177-192) who killed the brothers Sextus Quintilius Condianus e Sextus Quintilius Valerius Maximus, members of a senatorial family and consuls. Since then the villa became an imperial residence complete with a theater and a circus for horse racing. The latest surprise has emerged from various archaeological excavations: a cellar for the production of wine and a wine shop.
The wine journey
Beyond the garden is the main nucleus of the Villa: courtyards, boardrooms, a large thermal facility and the private residence overlooking the valley. Amphorae emerged from the excavations in the circus area, and the wine plant built at the time of Gordian (220-238 d.C).
The imperial vineyard ensured the grapes to be squeezed. The pomace was pressed by two mechanical presses and the grape must conveyed into the fountains from which it cascaded. It then flowed along open channels or storage jars, set into the ground, a standard winemaking technique in ancient Rome, as they created a stable microenvironment in which fermentation would take place. Banquets and imperial food and wine techniques. At zero kilometre.
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