Customer Reviews

Vinum: The Story of Roman Wine

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A sumptuous introduction to wine production, distribution, and consumption in the world of ancient Rome. VINUM is beautifully illustrated and produced, and it's an easy read. Would make a really nice present for anyone who enjoys drinking wine.
But it's not only pretty and polished. Also a really good introduction for the academic reader -- student or teacher. Fleming carefully and fully documents ancient and modern sources, and he provides the reader with an excellent survey of the state of knowledge. The references point the way to further research.
Especially recommended for wine connoisseurs, teachers of high school and undergraduate survey courses, and students in those courses.

Vinum is is an attractive and very informative little book that tells us virtually everything we might want to know about the role wine played in the Roman world. How were the vines that produced it grown? Who made it and where? How was it harvested and prepared? How was it stored and shipped? How was it kept? Who drank it and what different qualities were available? What were Roman taverns like? Were Roman parties sometimes as wild as we think they were? What did the Romans think about wine? All of these questions, and more, are answered in a very readable text embellished with numerous colorful drawings, charts, photographs and maps. In fact, many of the areas of Europe where great wines are produced today also produced wines under the Romans, and even now not only are some of the grape varieties the same, but some of the growing methods are as well. Anyone who really likes wine ought to very much enjoy having this book.