Spicy Wine: New Study Reveals Ancient Romans May Have Had Peculiar Tastes
taylorvich writes:
https://phys.org/news/2024-01-spicy-wine-reveals-ancient-romans.html
It's no secret that the ancient Romans were lovers of wine. So gripped by the grape were they, that they even worshiped a god-Bacchus-devoted to wine and merriment.
But, little is known about what their wine actually tasted like. Was it bitter or sweet? Fruity or earthy? According to a pioneering new study, it was rather spicy and smelled like toast.
The study, published on Jan. 23 in the journal Antiquity, analyzed Roman clay jars, known as dolia, which were used to manufacture, ferment and store ancient wines.
By comparing these vessels, which have long been overlooked, to similar containers used in modern wine-making, researchers were able to demystify the ancient flavors and the processes that created them.
The findings "change much of our current understanding of Roman winemaking," researchers, affiliated with multiple European institutions, said.
Dolia vessels were porous, egg-shaped containers that would have been partially buried underground and sealed during the wine-making process-all factors that would have contributed to the flavor palette of the finished product.
As a result of this process-and the addition of natural yeasts-the wine would have taken on a "slightly spicy" taste and given off the aroma of "toasted bread, apples, roasted walnuts and curry," researchers said.
Journal Reference:
Dimitri Van Limbergen et al, Making wine in earthenware vessels: a comparative approach to Roman vinification. Antiquity (2024) DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2023.193
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