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Celebrating the Ancient Roman Vinalia Festivals
Since near the birth of agriculture, harvest festivals have been an annual tradition in civilizations around the globe. While harvest parties are still celebrated widely today, the festivities surrounding the cultivation of wine grapes has roots in myriad ancient customs. One such festival from Roman antiquity gives its name to this company: the Vinalia.
The Vinalia Rustica
In fact, the Vinalia was not one, but rather two wine festivals held annually in Ancient Rome. The Vinalia Rustica was dated each August 19th, marking the beginning of the wine harvest and the pressing of the grapes. The festival was held both in the city of Rome and the surrounding Italian countryside of Latium (analogous with today’s Lazio region). In the urban center, Jupiter’s chief priest, known as the flamen dialis would sacrifice a lamb to the god and crush a cluster of grapes he harvested over its body. With this ritual, he would pray to Jupiter for a successful and temperate harvest, free from any damaging autumn storms.
The Vinalia Urbana
Earlier each year, an additional Vinalia, the Vinalia Urbana (also the Vinalia Priora), was held on April 23rd. Unlike the Vinalia Rustica, the Vinalia Urbana was largely confined to the city of Rome itself. The celebration denoted the first day in which wines from the previous fall’s vintage were available commercially—not dissimilar to France’s contemporary Beaujolais Nouveau day held each November. Here, the flamen dialis would offer the first pour, known as the calpar, to Jupiter. Unlike much ancient wine consumption, the calpar was offered in the wine’s pure form. (Many other Roman wines were mixed with herbs and various other substances for typical drinking.)
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New Vintage, Ancient Tradition
The Vinalia Urbana’s beginnings are debated, though Virgil notes its origin in a legend involving Aeneas and his fight against Mezentius, an Etruscan leader. While Mezentius laid claim to the first fruits of the harvest, Aeneas offered them to Jupiter, should he help him defeat the Etruscans in battle.
Still, other scholars more widely associate the Vinalia with Venus than Jupiter, citing examples of offerings being brought to her temples on the days of the festivals.
While precise accounts of the Vinalia festivals vary, they provide insight into the many similarities the modern and ancient wine industries share. In the Northern Hemisphere, the harvest still generally begins in August or September. And while release dates vary based on the region, winery, and style, young wines (especially whites, rosés, and some light reds) are often released the March or April following their harvest.
As the wine world readies itself for the 2024 harvest, many will take pause to celebrate this most exciting time in the annual cycle of the vine. In doing so, they connect themselves to an ancient tradition, and, in the spirit of the Vinalia festivals, usher in the new vintage.
