Why Ancient Greeks Mixed Wine With Seawater

A gold Mycenaean wine goblet. Ancient Greeks mixed wine with seawater for preservation, creating a unique taste that is echoed in today’s Assyrtiko wines from Santorini. Public Domain

Mixing Greek wine and seawater may sound unappealing today, but it is a winemaking practice that goes back to Ancient Greece, later to be copied by the Romans.

Seawater gives the wine a curious salinity which mixes with the sweetness of the grape and produces a delicate taste, while at the same time preserving the wine longer.

Also, one could say that as a pinch of salt enhances the taste of nearly all foods, it does the same for a glass of wine as well.

Ancient Greece had a long tradition of wine making, wine drinking and wine selling, thanks to its ideal sunny climate, the rocky terrain and its history of maritime trade.

Ancient Greeks drank wine by mixing it with water, usually in a ratio of 1:3 (one part wine to three parts water). They had special containers for mixing and for cooling the libation.

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