The inhabitants of the ancient world routinely drank alcoholic beverages, as they were often safer than potentially polluted water. The ancient Romans were no different, as wine was a central part of their culture. By all estimates, they also drank a lot of it. Recently, archaeologists have been able to determine what their wine tasted like, allowing us to sense the flavor of the past.

According to a study published in Antiquity, Roman wine tasted somewhat spicy and smelled like “toasted bread, apples, roasted walnuts, and curry.” It typically had a unique orange tint in addition to its unique flavor, but the color of the wine could vary from white to golden to black, depending on the grapes used.