Roman Wine Set Cena: A Roman Banquet in Two Bottles
The Roman Wine Set Cena brings together two wines inspired by ancient recipes, each in a 0.75-litre bottle: Mulsum, a white honey wine with pepper and bay leaf, of the kind the Romans drank with their starters, and Conditum Paradoxum, a red spiced wine with honey, pepper, saffron, bay leaf and dates, based on the first recipe in the cookbook of Apicius. Both wines have an alcohol content of 12.5% ABV, can be served chilled or gently warmed, and accompany a Roman evening from the first course to the last. Sale only to persons aged 18 and over.
White to Begin, Red with the Spices: The Course of a Roman Evening
From the First Cup to the Final Course
The cena was the highlight of the Roman day. Guests reclined on dining couches, often beginning in the late afternoon, and ate their meal in a set sequence. It began with the gustatio: eggs, olives, salads and small fish dishes, all light and designed to stimulate the appetite. Mulsum, wine mixed with honey, was served alongside them. The connection was so close that the first course acquired a second name: promulsis, literally that which accompanies Mulsum. Cicero uses the word quite naturally when describing dinner invitations in his letters.
The agricultural writer Columella describes how to make good Mulsum in the 1st century AD: fresh grape must, the finest honey, carefully mixed and matured in vessels. Pliny the Elder, on the other hand, recommends using aged wine as the base because it combines particularly well with honey. There was no single standard recipe; every household had its own method.
Later in the evening, with the richer dishes of the primae mensae, spiced wine was brought to the table. The best-known example is conditum paradoxum, the "remarkable spiced wine". It opens the cookbook attributed to the gourmet Apicius as its very first recipe: honey heated in wine and flavoured with pepper, mastic, bay leaf, saffron and roasted date stones. Pepper and saffron reached Rome along extensive trade routes and were expensive. Serving such a wine showed guests what a host could afford.
The Cena Wine Set follows this sequence. White Mulsum belongs at the beginning, with the starter and the arrival of the guests. Red Conditum accompanies the main course and the long evening that follows. Two bottles, one banquet.
Two Bottles, Two Distinct Characters
What the Wine Set Contains
Mulsum is a white honey wine. The sweetness of honey meets the gentle heat of pepper and the herbal notes of bay leaf. Served chilled, it pairs with olives, cheese or eggs as an aperitif, just as it would have accompanied the Roman gustatio.
Conditum Paradoxum is a red spiced wine. Honey, pepper, saffron, bay leaf and dates give it warmth and depth. It is a red-wine interpretation of the first recipe in the Apicius cookbook, without the mastic mentioned in the original. Gently warmed, its spices become particularly pronounced, making it suitable alongside hearty dishes or throughout a long evening.
Both wines come from Germany and have an alcohol content of 12.5% ABV. As a gift, the set is suitable for anyone interested in antiquity and as the basis for a Roman dinner or wine tasting.
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Contents: 1 × Mulsum, 1 × Conditum Paradoxum, 0.75 l each
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Mulsum: white wine, honey, pepper, bay leaf, 12.5% ABV
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Conditum Paradoxum: red wine, honey, pepper, dates, saffron, bay leaf, 12.5% ABV
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Allergen information: both wines contain sulphites
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Origin: wine from Germany
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Serving: chilled as an aperitif or gently warmed
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Sale: only to persons aged 18 and over; age verification by the delivery company may be required
From Roman Festivals to Wine Tastings: Where the Wine Set Fits In
At Roman festivals and reenactment banquets, the set gives structure to the evening. Mulsum is served as guests arrive and with the starter, while Conditum accompanies the main course. Anyone recreating the sequence of a Roman cena has a suitable wine for both stages and a ready-made conversation starter for guests: why was the starter called promulsis?
In museum education for adults, both wines can be used for tastings as part of guided tours. Even people who rarely drink wine can explore the flavours associated with antiquity through honey and spices. The two bottles demonstrate how different Roman-style wines can be: light and mild at the beginning, dark and richly spiced with the meal.
For a Roman dinner at home, the set offers a combination for an evening with friends. Simple dishes inspired by ancient recipes make suitable accompaniments, such as stuffed eggs, olives and bread as starters, followed by a hearty meat or mushroom dish.
As a gift, the set brings history into the bottle for birthdays, anniversaries or Christmas. In December, the Romans celebrated the Saturnalia, a festival of gifts and banquets.
Serving tips: Serve Mulsum well chilled and Conditum chilled or gently warmed according to preference. Do not allow it to boil, to preserve its alcohol and aromas. Store unopened bottles in a cool, dark place. Keep opened bottles sealed in the refrigerator and consume promptly.
Set, Single Bottle or Full Case? Finding the Right Quantity
For a first introduction, the set is the simplest option. Comparing the two wines side by side immediately reveals how different Roman-style wines can taste and helps identify which style is preferred.
As a gift, the set removes the need to choose. White and red, mild and spicy: both styles are included for people whose tastes are not precisely known.
For larger gatherings, Roman festivals or tastings with several groups, it is worth considering individual bottles. Once it is clear which wine is more popular, larger quantities of Mulsum or Conditum can be ordered separately.
Matching drinking vessels complete the historical setting. In the Cups, Jugs & Glasses category, You will find replicas of Roman vessels suitable for serving both wines. Those who wish to prepare Roman-style wine themselves can also choose the Roman spice mixture for white wine.
How Rome's Most Famous Cookbook Begins
Anyone opening the cookbook of Apicius will not find bread, soup or roast meat on the first page. Its very first recipe is for a wine:
„Conditi paradoxi compositio: mellis pondo XV in aeneum vas mittuntur, praemissis vini sextariis duobus, ut in coctura mellis vinum decoquas.“
"Preparation of the remarkable spiced wine: Fifteen pounds of honey are placed in a bronze vessel into which two sextarii of wine have first been poured, so that the wine reduces as the honey is cooked."
Apicius, De re coquinaria I, 1, 1
The quantities reveal just how lavish the recipe was intended to be. Fifteen Roman pounds amount to almost five kilograms of honey, cooked in just over a litre of wine. Pepper, mastic, bay leaf, saffron and dates are then added, followed by another eighteen sextarii of wine, around ten litres. The result was a thick, sweet spiced wine intended for large gatherings, probably consumed diluted.
The Conditum Paradoxum in this set is a ready-to-drink wine adapted to modern tastes. The underlying idea remains the same: honey, wine and valuable spices brought together in a drink designed to surprise from the first sip.
Before the First Cup: Questions About the Roman Wine Set Cena
Should the wines be served warm or cold?
Both are possible. Mulsum is best served well chilled as an aperitif with the starter. Conditum Paradoxum can be served chilled or gently warmed, which brings out the pepper and saffron more clearly. Do not boil when warming, to preserve the alcohol and aromas.
What do the two wines taste like?
Mulsum is light and mild. Honey gives it a smooth sweetness, while pepper and bay leaf add a delicate spicy note. Conditum is darker and more intense: honey and dates provide sweetness, pepper and saffron add warmth, and the red wine brings a slightly tart character. Both offer unusual and distinctive flavours.
Are these authentic Roman wines?
They are wines inspired by ancient models, produced using modern winemaking techniques. Mulsum follows the Roman tradition of wine mixed with honey described by Columella and Pliny, with the addition of pepper and bay leaf. Conditum is a red-wine interpretation of the first recipe in the Apicius cookbook, without the mastic mentioned there. The exact flavour of Roman wine 2,000 years ago cannot be reconstructed, but its ingredients and underlying concept can.
How should I store an opened bottle?
Keep it sealed in the refrigerator and consume promptly. Store unopened bottles in a cool, dark place.
Who can order the set, and where can it be delivered?
We sell alcoholic beverages only to persons aged 18 and over. We reserve the right to arrange age verification by the delivery company. Unfortunately, wine cannot be shipped to the United Kingdom or Canada.
Mulsum on the Inside, Oil on the Outside
Pliny the Elder tells of a man named Romilius Pollio, who lived to be over a hundred and remained remarkably vigorous. Emperor Augustus, visiting him, wanted to know how he had kept his body and mind so fresh. The answer was brief: intus mulso, foris oleo, Mulsum on the inside, oil on the outside.
Pliny does not reveal whether Pollio meant it seriously or merely wanted to entertain the emperor. This is, of course, no health claim, but it does show that Mulsum was much more than a drink to the Romans: it was part of a way of life that was even recommended to an emperor.
Source: Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia XXII, 114
Bibliography
Title: De re coquinaria
Author: Apicius
Publication: edited by Cesare Giarratano and Friedrich Vollmer, Teubner, Leipzig
Date: 1922 (recipes I, 1, 1 and I, 1, 2)
Title: De re rustica
Author: Columella (Lucius Iunius Moderatus Columella)
Passage: XII, 41 (Mulsum recipe)
Date: 1st century AD
Title: Naturalis Historia
Author: Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus Maior)
Passage: XXII, 113–114 (Mulsum, Romilius Pollio)
Date: around 77 AD
Title: Epistulae ad familiares
Author: Cicero (Marcus Tullius Cicero)
Passage: IX, 16 and IX, 20 (promulsis)
Date: 1st century BC
Further Links
Updated on: 04/11/2026
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