I’ve been following the vineyards of Pompeii for quite a while, it turns out. Maybe because archaeology and wine are two of my favourite things. As part of our anniversary celebrations, here’s a recap of the story, as it has unfolded on the blog over the past ten years and more. It was prompted by a recent piece by renowned wine writer Jancis Robinson. It’s unfortunately paywalled, but I found another source.
In 2013, I wrote about the vines I encountered growing among the ruins, planted where archaeologists had found evidence of ancient vineyards: casts of vine roots and the supports on which they had grown. The idea was to reconstruct not just a Roman vineyard, but something of the agricultural landscape that disappeared when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.
By 2016, the experiment had progressed from vines to wine, and we duly Nibbled about it. The Mastroberardino winery was using archaeological evidence, ancient texts and surviving local grape varieties to recreate aspects of Pompeian viticulture. Some of the varieties thought to have been grown in antiquity were still being cultivated around Vesuvius. The reconstructed vineyards were producing wine too, although the winemaking was sensibly not being reconstructed quite as faithfully as the viticulture.
By 2020, the vineyards had become part of the experience of Pompeii itself, with harvesting and winemaking incorporated into the archaeological site’s interpretation of its ancient gardens and agriculture.
And now, in 2026, the project is entering a new phase. A new partnership aims to expand vineyard production within Pompeii, with around 30,000 bottles a year envisaged. The scale is very different from the experimental 1,500 bottles of a decade ago, but the basic idea remains: use archaeology, surviving agricultural biodiversity and modern expertise to recover something of Pompeii’s lost viticultural heritage.
Pompeii died two thousand years ago. It’s rather wonderful that its vineyards have come back to life.