One BIG thing most people forget....

[Fumesucker]

6. The Romans also used lead containers to sweeten wine

There's a sweet lead compound once known as sugar of lead, the Romans prepared some wines in lead containers in order to make them sweeter by reacting with the lead to make sugar of lead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead(II)_acetate

Lead(II) acetate (Pb(CH3COO)2), also known as lead acetate, lead diacetate, plumbous acetate, sugar of lead, lead sugar, salt of Saturn, and Goulard's powder, is a white crystalline chemical compound with a sweetish taste. It is made by treating lead(II) oxide with acetic acid. Like other lead compounds, it is toxic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome_and_wine

Columella was 1st-century AD writer whose 12-volume De Re Rustica is considered one of the most important works on Roman agriculture. Eleven volumes written in prose are augmented by Volume 10, a book on gardens in hexameter verse. Volumes 3 and 4 delve into the technical aspects of Roman viticulture, including advice on which soil types yield the best wine, while Volume 12 concerns various aspects of winemaking.[16]

Columella describes the boiling of grape must in a lead vessel to concentrate sugars and at the same time allow the lead to impart sweetness and desirable texture to the wine.[17]