Zuchtrieghel: “The Park wants to be a living, dynamic site, strongly rooted in the local area while engaging with both local and international players.”
Pompeii, The Antiquity of the Vitae of Wine – 7–8 September 2025
QUADRIPORTICO DEI TEATRI – VIALE DELLE GINESTRE – AUDITORIUM
A two-day appointment with wine, its roots, and its relationship with history. On 7 and 8 September, Pompeii will host the third edition of “Pompeii, The Antiquity of the Vitae of Wine and Food”, bringing back to life the culture of wine as it flows through time and into the glass.
The event – with a rich program of expert talks, masterclasses, and tastings – focuses on ancient vineyards and their wines, exploring the identity of wine and its territory in dialogue with history and other wine cultures: Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, and Turkey, alongside Italy’s own regions including Tuscany, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, and Campania.
A key partner is Michèle Shah, Italy’s Ambassador for The Old Vine Conference (London), an international non-profit association bringing together hundreds of old-vine vineyards from around the world.
The program gathers researchers, scholars, and winemakers to share cultural and professional perspectives on the vine and wine. From 1:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on both days, thematic talks will take place in the Auditorium, while around 40 producers will present and pour their wines along Viale delle Ginestre. The event is open to all visitors to the archaeological site.
Masterclasses can be booked via the form at: www.misteryapple.it
Among the event’s guests: Tamuna Liluashvili, Georgian Ambassador to Rome, representing a country with 8,000 years of winemaking history, and Helmuth Köcher of the Merano WineFestival, who has long highlighted Georgia’s amphora wine culture.
Highlights include:
- Armando Castagno, writer and art historian, with reflections on how wine is shaped – and sometimes distorted – by media and enology.
- Llorenç Alapont, archaeologist and anthropologist at the University of Valencia, on mystical links between wine, death, and ritual, with references to his recent excavations.
- Roberto Cipresso, winemaker, on the history of Armenia’s grapes and wines, and viticulture in challenging regions such as Iran and Ukraine.
- Luciano Pignataro, journalist, leading a masterclass on the wines of Moldova.
- Benedetto Longobardi Ruju, designer and graphic artist for Gualtiero Marchesi, on the intersection of art and wine.
- Nicolangelo Marsicani, exploring the Mediterranean story of olive oil and its cultural and culinary influences.
The two days will also host international guests, trade operators, importers, exporters, and selected journalists curated by Michèle Shah, who will bring delegations from the USA, UK, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Sweden, Belgium, and beyond, to meet the Italian wineries involved.
The initiative is promoted by the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, in collaboration with MisteryApple and with the support of AIS Campania, led by Tommaso Luongo, marking the 60th anniversary of the Italian Sommelier Association. A focus on wine tourism will be presented by regional councillor Nicola Caputo, alongside German journalist Susanne Wess, who will launch a new web portal dedicated to European wine tourism.
Around 40 producers are already signed up, including the Consorzio di Tutela Vini Friuli Venezia Giulia, Chamber of Commerce Irpinia Sannio, and Regione Campania with consortia such as Irpinia, Vita Salernum Vites, Sannio, Vesuvio, Vitica, and Copagri. Special features include an “Amphora Revolution” space dedicated to amphora wines, the launch of the Decanto Wine Guide with Luigi D’Acunto, and a spotlight on Turkey, where Muscat – one of the world’s oldest grape varieties – is undergoing a revival with more versatile vinification styles. Presenting Turkey’s wines will be winemaker Işık Gülçubuk, sommelier Seray Şen Kumbasar (Michelin-starred Vino Locale, Urla), and food-and-wine journalist Elvan Uysal, with a special focus on Muscat of Bornova.
Among the masterclasses:
- The Old Vine Conference, curated by Michèle Shah, presenting a selection dedicated to old vines.
- Friuli Venezia Giulia, led by Barbara Rosso.
- Irpinia vs. Sannio, guided by Franco De Luca of AIS Campania.
“This event is not just a way to celebrate the history of wine, but expresses a new vision of Pompeii as a living, dynamic site,” emphasizes Director Gabriel Zuchtrieghel. “With initiatives like this, the Park demonstrates its commitment to projects that build strong connections with the region, engaging both trade professionals and a specialized public who can appreciate the excellence of wine. Archaeology is not an isolated world – Pompeii must remain open to cross-disciplinary events that speak to diverse audiences, from culture to taste. This event is a perfect example of how we can build a bridge between past and present, between archaeology and gastronomy, while maintaining a scientific approach to the treasures of our territory.”
“The event seeks to be an intense mosaic, composed of small fragments of culture, history, and the geopolitics of wine, weaving together different aspects of a world that has been evolving for 8,000 years and continues to do so through new and important archaeological and scientific research – still managing to amaze us despite the tired, flattened forms of ‘consuming’ wine reduced to advertising banality,” says Dante Stefano Del Vecchio, creator and curator of the event. “Finally, a special thanks to the management of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, to the Embassy of Georgia in Italy, and to the Italian Embassy in Tbilisi for supporting this initiative, which aims to spark the search for new connections and new frontiers of knowledge, where wine lives out its historic sacredness.”