GALEN ON ANTIDOTES

BOOK 1

Edition Chartier Vol. 13 [869.]

Edition Basel Vol. 2 (425.)

This sharpness is clearly accompanied by a heating quality, and later by a bitterness into which the wine transforms. Occasionally, one may observe watery wines that persist if they have not already turned sour within the first three or four years. However, for wines that are simultaneously strong, harsh, white, and thick, it sometimes happens that they turn sour even after ten years if they have not been stored properly. It is also possible for these same wines to age over a very long period of time.

In Italy, wines of this sort include the Tiburtine, the Signine, the Marsian, and the Surrentine. The Tiburtine and Marsian wines are harsh original: αὐστηροί / austera; referring to a dry, astringent quality that puckers the mouth and easily turn sour if they are stored without sufficient care. The Signine wine is stronger than these and is less prone to souring; when aged, it becomes of the highest quality.

As for the Surrentine wine, what more needs to be said? It is a fact known to everyone that for nearly twenty years it remains "raw" raw: or "undigested" (Greek: apeptos, Latin: crudum). In ancient medicine, wine was thought to undergo a process of "cooking" or maturation as it aged. Until this was complete, it was considered too harsh for the stomach.. It reaches its peak after that many years and remains drinkable for a long time. It does not easily turn bitter and rivals Falernian wine in its excellence. Watery wines, such as the Sabine and the Alban, behave in the opposite manner to these...