Ancient Rome and Wine - Roman Writings On Wine - Marcus Porcius Cato The Elder

Marcus Porcius Cato The Elder

Marcus Porcius Cato was a Roman statesman raised in an agricultural family on a farm in Reate northeast of Rome. He wrote extensively on a variety of subject matters in De Agri Cultura (Concerning the Cultivation of the Land), the oldest surviving work of Latin prose. The author commented in detail on viticulture and winemaking, e.g. the management of a vineyard and calculations concerning the amount of labor a slave could perform before dropping dead. He believed that grapes produce the best wine when they receive the maximum amount of sunshine. To this extent, he recommended that vines be trained in trees as high as possible and then be severely pruned of all leaves once the grapes began to ripen. He also advised winemakers to wait until the grapes are fully ripe before the harvest to ensure high quality in the wine and thus maintain the reputation of the wine estate.

Cato was an early advocate for the importance of hygiene in winemaking, recommending, for example, that wine jars be wiped clean twice a day with a new broom every time; thoroughly sealing the jars after fermentation to prevent the wine from spoiling and turning into vinegar; and not filling the amphoras to the top to leave some head space, leading to a small amount of oxidation. Cato's manual was fervently followed, becoming the standard textbook of Roman winemaking for centuries.