Lora (wine)

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The lora , a marc wine , like the posca, was a cheap Roman mass drink. Pliny called the Lora a "vinum operarium", ie a workers' wine.

In contrast to the Posca, the Lora was slightly alcoholic, making it very easy. The pomace , the remains of the grapes from the pressing process, was mixed with water and after a day came back into the wine press. The result of this process was an affordable wine substitute for poorer circles and perhaps comparable to a very diluted spritzer. Of course, there was a danger with this product that it turned into vinegar very quickly ; the lora had to be consumed quickly. But in antiquity there was no great misfortune in a turned Lora; a Posca replacement could be made from it.

The Roman military pressed the Lora themselves with pomace bought on site. Storage and transport were excluded due to the short shelf life. The tradition was obviously used later for the daily needs of the wine growers. With the introduction of quality standards, piquette was included as a house drink in wine law, but was excluded from the wine trade.

It has been handed down from Cato's household that his slaves first received pomace wine after the harvest before they were allowed to feast on the real drop.

Remarks

  1. Pliny the Elder Ä., Naturalis Historia, 14, 85
  2. L. Junius Moderatus Columella , De Re Rustica, 12, 40
  3. Cato: De agri cultura . 57