A well-known ancient wine (dubbed Surrentiner) that became especially popular during the reign of Emperor Augustus (63 BC-14 AD). It came from the Sorrento peninsula south of Naples in the Campania region, which gave it its name. The Roman author Pliny the Elder (23-79) describes it as a light, high-acid wine that requires 20 to 25 years of ageing, which is very surprising for a "light white wine". It was made from a variety of the widespread ancient grape called Aminea. Pliny counted it among the top wines along with Caecuber and the famous Falerner, which the Greek physician Galen (129-216) also did more than 100 years later. Visibly, however, its quality was not without controversy, for the emperors Tiberius (42 BC-47 AD) and Caligula (12-41) called it "vinegar of high quality".
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Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien