This week, ancient and modern technology met when recreated wines made from grapes grown in the ruins of Pompeii were auctioned on the Internet.

The wines were made by famed Italian winery Azienda Vinicola Michele Mastroberardino from grapes harvested in 2001 from vines planted in the city that was destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The wine itself is an intense red named Villa dei Misteri after one of Pompeii's major sites. Interestingly, ancient historian Pliny said Pompeii's wines matured after aging for 10 years. The wine has an alcohol level of 13.5 percent, similar to modern wines from the area.

The wine was made from 80 percent Piedirosso grapes and 20 percent Olivella or Sciascinoso grapes, grapes still used locally. Other grapes planted in Pompeii are falanghina, fiano, greco, coda di volpe ("Fox tail," the grape used to make famed Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio, Christ's tears) and aglianico.

The wine was the culmination of a long project undertaken by the archeologist of Pompeii under Pietro Giovanni Guzzo, Pompeii's archaeological superintendent in conjunction with Piero Mastroberardino, whose winery used ancient techniques to produce the wine.

The winery, in fact, specializes in producing wine from the traditional grapes used for millennia in Campania, the region around Pompeii and Naples.

These grapes were chosen in Roman times to suit Pompeii's rich volcanic soil and climatic conditions, and they are now being grown at four sites in the ancient city where vines were being cultivated when Vesuvius erupted.

Archaeologists and viticulturists used the results of archeological finds, plant breeding, frescos depicting vine cultivation and seeds and wine residues preserved at the site to decide what grapes to plant and how to plant them.

The first wine produced comes from vineyards planted in 1996. The total plantings are about 2.5 acres.

Interestingly, many of the ancient vines were planted densely, about 4 feet apart, and use vertical shoot positioning, both newly popular techniques. Mastroberardino uses the same techniques.

Other vines are planted in pergolas or arbors, ideal for dense plantings that provide good sun exposure for the leaves without sun burning grapes in the intense sunlight.

The first six of 1,721 bottles were given to the president of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi. Others were auctioned on April 29, with the rest to be sold over the Internet.