Nearly two thousand years before critics assigned numerical scores to wine bottles, prolific Roman author Pliny the Elder surveyed the known world of wine and rendered his top picks a matter of record. This was no small undertaking in 77 AD, a time during which writers had to commit text by hand. It is also worth noting that just two years after the publication of his wine recommendations, Pliny would lose his life to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii. The many hours he spent toiling over reams of papyrus were clearly worth it, as we sit here today, some several thousand years later, considering his viewpoint.
The wine-centric text, Book XIV, is part of Pliny’s epic tome entitled Natural History. It reads like both a wine encyclopedia and vineyard classification index. Celebrated vintage years, vineyard locations, preferred styles, aging potential, fraudulent merchants, and wines notorious for producing headaches are all identified. Most presciently, he asserted that a wine’s character depends not only upon its grape variety, but also its place.
His recommendations do not always have modern equivalents, as some ancient grape varieties have disappeared or changed their names. Still, several of Pliny’s favorite grapes remain under vine in their ancient locations. And in some cases, their ancient names have been preserved. But the wines identified by Pliny may not have tasted exactly like their modern descendants: In Ancient Rome, fermentation was less controlled and wines could be flavored or stabilized with ingredients considered unusual by today’s standards. Examples include sea water, salt, honey, gypsum and more. Moreover, it was not uncommon to mix wine with water before drinking it. That may be true for some modern wine drinkers, too.
Without further ado, here are Pliny’s recs:
Pucinum: The Wine of Longevity
Pliny begins his Italian wine ranking with Pucinum: a wine associated with Julia Augusta, also known as Livia Drusilla, the wife of Augustus (Rome's first emperor between 27 BC through AD 14). Livia attributed her long life (she lived into her eighties) to exclusively drinking Pucinum. Whether Pucinum owed its medicinal reputation to Livia’s endorsement, or Livia selected it because it already possessed one, is impossible to determine. Pliny tells us only that she drank no other wine, credited it with her longevity, and that it was considered exceptionally suitable for medicinal use. Pucinum was produced on a rocky hill near the Timavo River, located near Trieste in northeastern Italy close to the Slovenian border. Here, the Adriatic Sea air nips at grapes as they grow.
Modern equivalent: Look for a Carso DOC wine from the area surrounding Trieste. A structured, mineral Vitovska offers a compelling white-wine interpretation of the territory, while a Carso Terrano, made from the Refosco family, represents its distinctive red tradition. Both wines express the area’s rocky Adriatic landscape, just as Pucinum would have at the time of Julia Augusta.
Setinum: The Emperor’s Top Choice
Setinum came from the hills above Forum Appii in southern Lazio, near the town of Sezze; roughly forty miles southeast of Rome. Pliny reports that Augustus himself preferred it to every other wine. Several ensuing generations of Emperors followed Augustus’ example, partly because Setinum was believed less likely to cause indigestion.
Modern equivalent: Choose a Lazio white based on the Bellone white wine grape, preferably from the province of Latina or the hills south of Rome. Bellone produces substantial, sun-filled wines with orchard fruit, citrus, texture and refreshing acidity.
Falernian: Ancient Rome’s Most Famous Wine
Falernian was produced in northern Campania on and around Mount Massicus in Southern Italy. During Pliny’s lifetime, Falernian occupied the summit of Rome’s wine hierarchy. He describes it as the only wine said to ignite when exposed to a flame. This was Pliny’s exaggerated way of emphasizing its extraordinary power in the glass. Falernian was prized for its aging potential. The legendary vintage of 121 BC, known as the Opimian vintage, was reportedly still in existence nearly two centuries later. By then it had become thick, bitter and honey-like and was apparently used in tiny quantities to season younger wine rather than consumed by itself. Falernian’s fame eventually became a commercial liability. Pliny complained that growers had begun emphasizing quantity over quality. This is an ancient example of a famous appellation being weakened by overproduction.
Modern equivalent: The direct geographical successor is Falerno del Massico DOC. For the closest conceptual comparison, begin with Falerno del Massico Bianco, made principally from Falanghina. It is dry, savory and often distinctly mineral. Falerno del Massico Rosso, based on grapes such as Aglianico, Piedirosso and Primitivo, offers a more powerful interpretation.
Caecubum: Rome’s Lost First Growth
Before Setinum and Falernian achieved fame, Caecuban wine was considered one of Rome’s supreme selections. It came from the marshy coastal plain between the towns of Fondi, Sperlonga, Itri and Formia (sixty miles southeast of Rome). Pliny describes the vineyards as growing among poplars in low, wet ground. By his lifetime, the original wine had nearly disappeared. He blamed both neglect and the disruption caused by an ambitious canal project begun under Nero (the emperor of Rome between 54 AD and 68 AD). Ancient accounts suggest that Caecuban was powerful, richly textured and capable of prolonged aging. It appears to have been a pale wine that became deeper and more fire-colored with time.
Modern equivalent: The closest geographical homage is a Lazio IGT made from Abbuoto, or one of the modern wines produced in the Monti Cecubi around Fondi. These can be fascinating, structured reds that revive the identity of the territory.
Albanum: The Local Wine of Rome
Alban wine came from the Alban Hills immediately southeast of Rome. Pliny says it was usually very sweet but could be made dry. Its proximity to the capital matters. Alban wine did not have to travel from Sicily or Campania; it came from the volcanic hills immediately beyond the city. It was therefore well positioned to supply Rome’s taverns, dining rooms, festivals and public entertainments. Alban wine was a likely choice for the enormous crowds attending spectacles at the Colosseum, which opened in AD 80 (just one year after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and the loss of Pliny).
Modern equivalent: Colli Albani DOC is the most direct geographical heir to Albanum. Its white wines are produced primarily from Malvasia and Trebbiano varieties and can range from dry to sweet. Frascati DOC or Frascati Superiore DOCG, from the neighboring volcanic hills, provides a more widely available expression of the same Roman landscape.
Surrentinum: The Wine of Convalescents
Surrentine wine came from the Sorrento Peninsula. Physicians recommended it to people recovering from illness because it was considered thin, light and wholesome. According to Pliny, Emperor Tiberius (Rome’s second emperor between 14 AD and 37 AD) joked that doctors had conspired to make the wine fashionable and dismissed it as expensive vinegar. Caligula (Rome’s third emperor between 37 AD and 41 AD) reportedly called it high-quality but flat. These comments suggest a wine with noticeable acidity, modest body and less richness than the powerful wines favored at luxurious Roman banquets.
Modern equivalent: Look for Penisola Sorrentina DOC Bianco, particularly a Falanghina-led wine. Its bright acidity, citrus character and coastal freshness make it a persuasive modern counterpart to Pliny’s light Surrentine wine.
Gauranum: Wine from the Volcanic Hills
Gauran wine came from Mount Gaurus, near Pozzuoli and the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. This was (and remains) a dramatic volcanic environment shaped by craters, mineral soils and proximity to the sea.
Modern equivalent: Select a Campi Flegrei DOC wine. Falanghina provides the white expression: saline, citrus-driven and often lightly smoky. Piedirosso supplies the red: fragrant, relatively pale, savory and shaped more by volcanic freshness than overwhelming weight. These are among the most persuasive modern wines for experiencing the landscape behind an ancient Roman name.
Statanum and Calenum: Neighbors of Falernian
Statan wine came from vineyards adjoining the Falernian territory in Campania. Calenian wine, from the hills around ancient Cales (near modern Calvi Risorta in Southern Italy) also enjoyed an earlier period of preference. Pliny uses these wines to illustrate the rise and decline of vineyard reputations. A place celebrated by one generation could be neglected by the next. Fashion, cultivation and commercial priorities could elevate or diminish a district just as they do today.
Modern equivalent: Wines labeled Falerno del Massico DOC or Roccamonfina IGT provide the closest geographical reference points. They come from the volcanic and limestone country of northern Campania that once produced Falernian, Statan and Calenian wines.
Fundanum: The Wine of Fundi
Fundanian wine came from the area around Fundi, modern Fondi, along the Appian Way (the ancient road constructed in 312 BC to connect Rome and Campania). Pliny notes that these vines could be grown on trellises or trained up small trees. The practice of allowing vines to climb living trees was widespread in parts of ancient Italy and survives in limited forms in Campania today.
Modern equivalent: Seek wines from the Fondi, Itri or Sperlonga area labeled Lazio IGT, particularly those incorporating Abbuoto or other local grapes. The connection here is primarily territorial.
Signinum: Rome’s Medicinal Astringent
Signine wine came from Signia, modern Segni, southeast of Rome. Pliny describes it as extremely dry and astringent. Rather than celebrating it as a luxurious pleasure, he places it in a medicinal category and suggests it was valued as a stomach remedy. This reminds us that Roman wine classifications were not based solely on sensory enjoyment. Wines were routinely assigned physiological properties. Sweetness, acidity, age, color and strength were believed to make different wines appropriate for different bodies and illnesses.
Modern equivalent: A firmly structured Cesanese from Lazio, particularly from the hills southeast of Rome, offers a useful stylistic analogy. Cesanese’s tannin, acidity and savory red-fruit character can evoke the austere profile Pliny assigned to Signinum.
Mamertinum: Julius Caesar’s Public Banquet Wine
Mamertine wine came from northeastern Sicily, around modern Messina and Milazzo. Pliny says Julius Caesar (the infamous general/Roman dictator who ruled between 49 BC and 44 BC) helped bring it into fashion by serving it at public banquets. Among Mamertine wines, he singles out the Potitian bottling (named for its original grower) for particular praise. Mamertinum thus provides one of the clearest connections between ancient wine and public Roman ceremony. It was not merely a private luxury; it could be deployed at a large banquet as an expression of generosity, political prestige and imperial reach.
Modern equivalent: Mamertino DOC, also called Mamertino di Milazzo, preserves both the historic name and general territory. Modern white Mamertino may incorporate grapes such as Catarratto, Grillo and Ansonica, while red versions feature Nero d’Avola and Nocera. The continuity of name and place is exceptional.
Taormina Wine: The Ancient Impostor
Pliny writes that wine from the area around Taormina (a hilltop town on the eastern coast of Sicily overlooking the Ionian Sea) was frequently bottled and passed off as Mamertine. Apparently, the prestige of a famous neighboring name encouraged the same sort of mislabeling and commercial opportunism that later wine laws would attempt to prevent. His observation is valuable because it shows that Roman consumers recognized regional identities – and that unscrupulous sellers could profit by substituting one origin for another.
Modern equivalent: A wine from eastern Sicily provides the geographic comparison. Etna Bianco, Etna Rosso or a locally produced Sicilia DOC wine from the northeastern part of the island will express the volcanic, maritime environment of the region.
Pompeianum: The Wine with a Hangover Warning
Pliny says the wines of Pompeii reached their point of greatest improvement at approximately ten years of age and gained nothing from further cellaring. He also repeats the claim that Pompeian wine produced a headache lasting until noon the following day. The comment is amusing, but it may reflect real differences in winemaking stability, alcohol, concentration or additives. Pompeii was a major commercial wine center, and the amphorae, vineyards, taverns and wall paintings preserved by Vesuvius provide extraordinary evidence of its wine culture.
Modern equivalent: The clearest choices are Pompeiano IGP, Vesuvio DOC or Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio DOC. White versions commonly use varieties such as Caprettone, Falanghina and Verdeca, while reds may be based on Piedirosso and other local grapes. These wines come from the Vesuvian landscape that supplied Pompeii, though they benefit from modern standards that should make Pliny’s promised next-day headache considerably less inevitable.