Culture meets agriculture, the Azienda Agricola Pompei is restarting with wine and “La Guardiense” (rumors)

The Pompeii Agricultural Company is a fascinating and extensive project, which includes agriculture and culture, fields, educational gardens and vineyards, kept in the most visited Archaeological Park in the world. It now offers agri-food productions the techniques and characteristics of which have their roots in Ancient Roman times, such as ancient grains, fruits, oil and livestock, as we have described here. And, wine is the star of the show. According to WineNews rumors, the Pompeii farm will start again with a wine project and a partnership between Pompeii and an ATI (Temporary Business Association), managed by “La Guardiense”, one of the leading Cooperatives of Campania wines (led by Domizio Pigna). The partnership should become official within the next few days, thereby restarting (after two unsuccessful harvests), the Park's wine journey. As Paolo Mighetto, Construction Manager of the Archaeological Park’s green management had previously explained to WineNews, there are 1.7 hectares of vineyards in the ancient city, which could reach 5.8 hectares in the near future, producing wines linked to the history of Pompeii and to native vines.
“This year we will be regenerating the current hectares and will be adding another 1.5 hectares, to reach a total of 5.8 hectares between Pompeii and the other Park locations, such as Stabiae, Oplontis, Boscoreale and Longola”, the architect, Paolo Mighetto explained to WineNews. “At Vivaio di Pompei, the research and regenerative center of the Azienda Agricola program, we will experiment with vines as we have done with the cuttings of ancient Georgian vines, to set up a new experimental vineyard within the ancient site. In past years, a selection of ancient vines had already been made from Piedirosso, Caprettone, Fiano, Coda di Volpe and Greco di Tufo, certified in these areas until the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, which will allow us to make varietal wine, if possible. Our new program, as a matter of fact, provides that wine production will be conducted within the Park, from the grape bunches to the bottle, including refinement and aging, which is the big news. Our dream is that the wine will come from the Casa Europa or Foro Boario vineyards, almost as if they were Crus from an “archaeological zoning”. In the next few days, when we sign the decree, we will also communicate the company that won the contract, celebrating the new harvest at Casa del Triclinio where the grape harvest takes place every year in Pompeii. Our goal is to reactivate a territory that was one of the most fertile in ancient times, and it still is”.