A Recipe for Lora

One might imagine that there was little else of value in twice-crushed grapes, but it was common practice for them to be mixed first with fresh water, then a few days later with salt water to yield a truly mediocre wine (lora) that probably contained no more than about 0.3% alcohol content. Lora was included in the daily rations of an estate's labourers and slaves, and was akin to the reputedly invigorating posca provided Roman troops when their normal wine rations were in short supply.

The grape-skins and other waste (vinaceum) finally scraped out of the press were used as cattle fodder or fertilizer. To say the Roman vintner was "thrifty" would be a singular understatement, that's for sure.