Chianti, Italy—According to a statement issued by York UniversityAnalysis of grape seeds recovered from soil at the bottom of wells carved into rock at the Etruscan and Roman site of Citamura del Chianti suggests that vintners there cloned vines that produced white berries. Oya Inanli of the University of York said most of the seeds in the study were between 300 and 100 in. BC And Advertisement 300 more belonged to the same grape variety. After the Romans conquered central Italy, new grape varieties were brought to the place. The study also showed that the Etruscan white-berry variety was related to grapes grown in southern France, indicating that the Romans developed an agricultural trade network to standardize wine production. Another 2,000-year-old grape variety identified in Sitamura has been linked to grapes still grown today in Central and Eastern Europe, including a 400-year-old vine that still bears fruit in Slovenia. Go Archaeological Science Journal To read the original academic paper describing the research. For an in-depth read about Roman rites celebrating the god of wine, visit “Pompeii’s House of Dionysian Delights“
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