Which was the best type of wine in Ancient Italy?

What standard might be applied to rank or categorize the finest Italian wine varieties? Undoubtedly, two different wines made from the same basic materials can exist, but only one will ultimately be considered to be better. This can be because of how this particular product is brewed or cultured, or it might just be a matter of popular preference. Old is gold, as the saying goes. One could have a notion of a particular kind of product, which has been passed down to them by people, or through their being brought up. Hence, they will be convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the kind of wine is the best that can be found. Certainly, one can hold this belief, without having considered other products that may be way better

According to Julia Augusta, the Pizzino wine was seemingly the best that was available. The reason being that this particular kind of wine is made from a specific kind of grapes; whose casks have had some good sweetening in the warm environment that they are grown. Consequently, the wine ends up having a unique and desirable taste that is preferred by numerous people. In fact, Julia had been taking the wine for more than six decades. It is quite explicit that if she was used as the sole marketing executive for the Pizzino wine brewers, then they would definitely need no other person to take Julia’s place.

Additionally, the wine has been known to be of medicinal value since the ancient times. Thus, people would prefer a type of wine after they have benefitted health-wise, especially for treatment of stomach related ailments. King Augustus, of the ancient Greek Empire, preferred Setinum, a certain kind of wine. Seemingly, King Augustus left a legacy, as every other Emperor who succeeded him had a strong preference for that same kind of wine. Definitely, this wine was considered as having royal value, and it was most likely taken by those of high standing. Thus, the argument by Augustus that one would never suffer indigestion after taking the popular and esteemed Setinum wine.

Each type of wine has its own unique characteristics and properties that make it desirable. In the District of Falernia, we had a kind of grape that gave a larger quantity of wine, in comparison to others. Furthermore, three blends of wine could be brewed from this type of grape, i.e. dry wine, sweet wine and dry wine. This type of wine is the only one that would light up upon bringing a flame near it.

Different types of wines have been classified according to their origin, and hence the environmental conditions in which the raw materials used to process the wine are. Italian wines that are cultivated far from the sea of Ausonia, the areas of Taranto, San Severino, Cosenza, Tempsa, Bari, Lucanian are more preferred than the wines from Thurii. Nevertheless, the wines of Lagara, are most famous, as they were used to treat a legendary and renowned person-Messala Potitius. Campania has also proved to be a famous wine brewing origin because the grapes there are very well cultivated.

Pliny was a Roman writer and he worked as an administrator. He was born at around 61 BC, in the current Italy and lived up to C113. Pliny died in what is the current Turkey. The Author was able to write about both his private and public life, in quite a charismatic and charming manner. In fact, his writing reigned during the time of the Roman Empire (Stannard, 2016). Furthermore, Pliny was born to a very rich family and was then taken in by the brother of his father. He began his career in law at only eighteen years of age, hence acquiring a good name due to his excellent practice. Pliny’s reputation was so great so that people preferred him more than others, as a matter of public demand. He was able to deal with cases that involved public harassment and stealing of money by provincial administrators. In fact, Pliny successfully prosecuted an African official and some leaders from Spain. He was good in financial administration too and was head of the treasury for the military and the Senate at the time.

The Legendary Pliny was dynamic, and he was able to serve under both good and bad leadership reigns. His writing was diverse, from books to letters about private occurrences. Without any doubt, Pliny was quite engaging in his writings, and he was able to clearly bring out the subject that he wanted to clarify on. All that he wrote, he ensured was well documented, hence the evidence that we have of him as a historical writer.

A sample of what Pliny wrote included advice to the young generation through letters, greetings, and investigations on various critical issues, and explicit descriptions of natural scenes that he cited, which were intriguing or those that would raise an eyebrow. Stannard (2016), states that Pliny left a picture of the ancient existence of literature, describing how reciting is done, in detail.

In as much as Pliny was quite renowned in his writing practice as a historical writer, he was more of one who analyses a situation rather than tries to capture the emotions behind what he wrote. A good example is an analysis of which wine was most preferred in Italy, (bringing ourselves back to context). We were able to know how the ancient people of Italy classified the types of wines according to their preferences and the origins of these wines. However, it would take an audience that really appreciates the style of writing used by Pliny in relaying his message. Thus, it would need another writer to bring what Pliny wrote into the current context, as very well described by Stannard (2016).

According to Pliny’s analysis of wine, there were four types of wines, that is, first class vintages, second-class vintages, third class vintages and fourth-class vintages. Gauging the accuracy of Pliny’s analysis would be a pure speculation, as what he wrote was based on what he considered as peoples’ preferences at the time. Thus, according to Grant (2016), the accuracy of what a person prefers can only be determined by the person alone.

Owing to the intrinsic detail displayed by Pliny, it is clear that he wrote from what he experienced in the environment that he was in. What he wrote was authentic as his own articles, and he drew his references from the then Roman Empire. Additionally, he gets historical references from the happenings of the past.

Tuscania was an ancient and well to do city located in central Italy. The city was well known around the third century Before Christ. Pliny draws a reference from writings of a famous poet of the ancient Italy, Virgil. The poetry that he wrote was referred to as Georgics. History has it that Virgil was actually the best poet to the Romans in his time. This substantiates the fact that Pliny was well versed with the ancient Italy and Rome- he is able to cite quite renowned people in the Roman History. Furthermore, the relevance of Pliny in the context that he was clearly comes out.

According to Williams (2017), Virgil the poet was born in a very poor family, hence a humble background. He had quite a passion for the rural Italy, and this greatly and majorly inspired the themes for his poetry. Furthermore, the native people found in the countryside influenced what he wrote. Virgil, the writer of Georgics went to school in Milan and Rome, getting in-depth education on writers from Greece and Rome; more specifically those doing poems. Additionally, Virgil got quite a good exposure in writing of statements that do not require responses, besides mastering the art of poetry.

Additionally, Pliny does not seek to further on what he has gathered on a particular subject. What is strongly felt from his article on the different vintages is that what was believed in the past still holds as the gospel truth and is to be followed. Moreover, Pliny clearly brings out this fact: people who are of high esteem and influence must influence decisions that are made by those that are in lower ranks. According to Pliny, social stratification was rampant in the Roman Empire, it was a clear indication of who would afford hence prefer a specific type of wine. As clearly seen from what he wrote, the best type of wine which has the highest rating is that which was taken by nobles of the Roman Empire, whilst the wine that is poorly rated according to Pliny is indicated as being used at public functions.

Quite an oxymoron here. Pliny referring to writings from a person whose living and upbringing is inspired by a humble background; whilst his article on the types of wines draws great inspiration from the social stratification of the ancient time Italy. This further brings out the dynamism of Pliny as a writer, and how ready he is to adapt to the various ways of life. As clearly stated earlier, he was able to thrive under both good and bad leadership periods.

References

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, G. Lotha, and A. Tikkanen. “Tuscania | Italy | Britannica.com.” In Encyclopedia Britannica. 2015. https://www.britannica.com/place/Tuscania.

Grant, M. “Augustus | Roman emperor | Britannica.com.” In Encyclopedia Britannica. 2016. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augustus-Roman-emperor.

Pliny, J. F. Healy, and Pliny. Natural history: A selection. London, United Kingdom: Penguin Books, 2004.

Stannard, J. “Pliny the Elder | Roman scholar | Britannica.com.” In Encyclopedia Britannica. 2016. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pliny-the-Elder.

Williams, R. “Virgil | Roman poet | Britannica.com.” In Encyclopedia Britannica. 2017. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Virgil.