Archaeologists in Northumberland have made the startling discovery of a 2nd-century Roman vineyard that utilized an advanced climate-control system to grow grapes in the cold northern climate. The site includes a series of stone-lined terraces equipped with subterranean heat-ducts, similar to a hypocaust system, which channeled hot air from central furnaces to warm the soil around the vine roots.
This 'experimental viticulture station' demonstrates the extreme lengths to which Roman legionaries went to replicate Mediterranean agricultural practices on the edges of the Empire. Excavations also recovered carbonized grape seeds and specialized pruning knives, along with a lead tablet that appears to be a viticulture log tracking the success of different grape varieties against the harsh British winters.