 Pliny and others also named "vinum Hadrianum" as one of the most rated wines, along with Praetutian from Ancona on the Adriatic, Mamertine from Messina in Sicily, Rhaetic from Verona, and a few others.Wine, perhaps mixed with herbs and minerals, was assumed to serve medicinal purposes.During Roman times, the upper classes might dissolve pearls in wine for better health.