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    Wine was diluted not because it made the water taste better, but because it made the wine taste better. See this question for more discussion on this myth.
    – SPavel ♦
    Commented Jun 10 at 1:03
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    @SPavel That (really old) answer asserts that the whole idea that people drank beer because the water wasn't safe is a myth. Wine doesn't have enough alcohol to make water safe so it's kind of irrelevant here. There's also a lot of writing about the (Mayflower) Pilgrims and beer and reluctance to drink water, I think from original sources. Not sure how 'busted' that is.
    – JimmyJames
    Commented Jun 10 at 18:09
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    @JimmyJames We're discussing a 2000+ year old practice so the answers are going to be old ;) but I am referring to the discussion to draw OP's attention to the sources, rather than saying one of the answers already answers this question (in which case I would simply have closed as duplicate, instead).
    – SPavel ♦
    Commented Jun 10 at 21:00
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    The Romans also knew that boiling grape juice in lead vessels makes wine taste better. Don't try this at home.
    – Simon Crase
    Commented Jun 12 at 23:40
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    @SimonCrase I believe they added lead compounds directly as well. But is that any stupider than adding lead to gasoline and thereby poisoning every human and animal on the planet?? Many people alive today got major exposure, and I believe that lead is still present in soil near roadways, despite lead having been largely phased out.
    – releseabe
    Commented Jun 12 at 23:54