During our first week of class, we had a lecture about the history of wine. During this lecture, we discussed the many ways wine was transported during ancient times. The Greek and Romans both had a very important part of getting the wine industry where it is today. Our first field trip as a class was to the wine museum in Torgiano. This museum is a private collection from the Lungrotti family.  Pictured above are amphora. These were some of the typical vessels used to transport wine during ancient times. They were made of clay or ceramic. Each area and era had a different design, as seen above with the multiple variations. The wall behind the artifacts shows how the amphora would have interlocked together on a ship. Their shapes allowed them to stick together and be stable in the bough of the ship. Shipwrecks are not completely avoidable but can be give a very good look into history. Several shipwrecks have been found which contained these amphorae. Scientists retrieve the amphora from the wreckage and analyze what is found on the insides.  This gives us information about the wine itself and its fermentation process. We know that wine from this time is not like the wine we have today. It was meant to be drunk quickly following the fermentation process.

I really enjoyed this field trip because we got to see important pieces in the history of wine. The variety in this museum was very impressive. There was pottery and literature, tools, and interesting pictures. I did learn that people used to use trees for the vines to grow up. I had never put though into what was used as a stake and trellis system before they were such a common practice. Some of the more decorative vessels and pottery were interesting as well.