Wine was undisputedly the number one drink in Roman antiquity. A slave drank around 260 liters of wine a year, while citizens consumed a lot more – at least according to the Roman historian and farmer Cato. When you look at the streets of Pompeii, you get a similar impression: there were eight taverns next to each other next to a public bath. According to the drinks menus painted on the wall, in addition to cheap commodity wines, finer grapes such as the popular Falerner were also offered. At that time it was four times more expensive than the cheapest grape variety.
Ancient Winemaking: Why the Romans Buried Their Wine – Knowledge
