Back to the future of wine! 🍷

The drinks industry loves a good bit of innovation, but some of the most powerful ideas can come from the past...

Harpers Wine & Spirit Magazine have recently reported on an ongoing project in Pompeii, which is set to revive ancient Roman winemaking through planting vineyards among the ruins, producing wine through heritage techniques and native grape varieties.

With the help of a thick black skinned grape called Aglianico, renowned as one of the most famous varieties of ancient grapes (and found in many vines today across California and Australia) Italian wine producer Feudi di San Gregorio will produce around 30,000 bottles of wine to be sold at the park and online.

This ambitious project reflects the growing importance of provenance and sustainability, and it’s great to see that the team will be combining cultural preservation with environmentally conscious vineyard practices. This speaks to the wider shift towards experience-led consumption, where products are no longer just consumed, but are connected to place, history or narrative.

At a time when drinks brands are under pressure to stand out and add value, we’d say that this is a reminder that innovation doesn’t always mean creating something entirely new - it can also come from reinterpreting something with real, lasting meaning.

Here’s to getting our hands on a bottle in 2028!