The rational exploitation of the countryside consequent to the rise of urban civilization, and the new intensive cultivation of grapes soon led to massive wine production, enough to satisfy the domestic market as well as for a flourishing trade reaching various parts of the Mediterranean Basin. The amphorae, wine containers par excellence, found by archaeologists in different parts of the Mediterranean, prove the existence of numerous wine routes, headed by Greek, Etruscan, Phoenician and Roman traders.

The wines

In the Roman world, there existed local vineyards for self-consumption, and noble vineyards for high-quality wines to be aged, produced for the elite. There was also mass production, supplying abundant wine for immediate consumption, which was stabilized by adding seawater and lime to preserve it during transport. This was the tavern wine whose qualities were amply described by the poets of the time.