Forum Vinarium

Romans loved wine and drank it every day. The wine trade grew alongside the Empire and became a huge business. Merchants took wine from Italy, Spain, Greece, Gaul and elsewhere to all parts of the Empire using amphorae stacked in ships. Sea transport was key as it could cost less to import wine from Spain by sea than to move it by road from home-grown vineyards. At the height of the trade up to 40,000 amphorae of wine were exported annually from Italy to Gaul and it is estimated that 500,000 litres were drunk every day in Rome alone! The Forum Vinarium was, effectively, the biggest wine shop of the ancient world. Wine was made using slave labour in both the Italian countryside and conquered lands. It has to be noted that the Romans were, for much of the Empire's lifespan, favoured with a warm climate that allowed viniculture in many northern lands.