It was the arrival of the Roman Empire to the Iberian Peninsula which brought with it the cultivation and knowledge of the vine. The Romans spread their wine culture from Italy and carried it through all the regions of old Europe, reaching Gaul, Germany, Portugal and Spain, among others.
For ancient Rome, wine was not only an important commercial activity, but it was a fundamental right for each and every citizen of the Empire, from the lowest level slave to the highest of the positions of the aristocracy . Therefore, they made sure to supply all Roman soldiers and settlers in all corners of the Empire.
Although the origins of wine date back to the Bronze Age 3,000 BC, in the fertile lands watered by the Tigris and Euphrates of ancient Mesopotamia, the Romans created a whole culture around the vine. In this way, the harvest was celebrated every year throughout the world since viticulture arrived in Italy in 200 BC. and they proclaimed the Greek god Dionysus their god of wine: Bacchus.
The arrival of Bacchus, God of Wine, to the Iberian Peninsula
In addition, they applied their advanced techniques to improve and optimize winemaking, displayed their knowledge and began to experiment with grafting of vines and used wooden vats to begin transporting and marketing it.
Also in Rome, the figure of the vintner was born, which today we could consider a modern winemaker. Its function was to treat the wine and add certain substances that altered the color and appearance of the liquid, since white wines were the most valued by the Romans because they were attributed wealth, power and luxury. Whites were served in crystal glasses in the houses of the nobles, while red wine was served in popular taverns.
The truth is that all this ritual around the care of the grape was a necessity and practically a right in the daily life of the Roman people, something that has left a deep-rooted heritage that we still conserve today.
