Vines and Volcanoes – Greeks, Romans, and Wine in Ancient Italy
Bacchus Uncorked
GETTY VILLA
Auditorium
Learn how the ancient Greeks and Romans made and consumed their wine, from the field to the table. Archaeologist Paul Roberts of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford explores the religious and social mythologies around wine, gift of the god Dionysos—or Bacchus to the Romans—and the amazing and sometimes bizarre rituals around its consumption. Roberts explains how wine, as well as fine tableware and gorgeous floor mosaics, factored into the everyday lives of the ancient Greeks and Romans on Sicily and the shores of the Bay of Naples. Sommelier Diego Meraviglia then introduces the volcanic wines of Mt. Etna and Mt. Vesuvius, where grapes grown at high altitudes and in nutrient-rich soils give birth to some of the most peculiar and attractive wines available today, and leads a tasting in the picturesque outdoor setting of the Getty Villa. Appetizers included; complimentary parking.
(This program is also offered Sunday, July 17 from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m.)
