The Roman poet and politician Decimus Magnus Ausonius (310-395) was born in Burdigala (Bordeaux) to a wealthy family. He was the tutor of the later Roman emperor Gratian (359-383), who later appointed him consul in Augusta Treverorum (Trier), the Roman administrative capital of Gaul. It was here that the Romans established viticulture. Ausonius owned a vineyard of around 1,100 acres in Lucaniacus on the Garonne in what is now Saint-Émilion. It is possible that the Château Ausone named after him is located there today, or perhaps the Château La Gaffelière, which also lays claim to this site. He also wrote a detailed description of the wines of the Gironde. He also praised the wines from the Mâconnais in Burgundy.
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