Wine where the land will not give it

Paradoxes of farming. Nor indeed will agricultural matters be left out here, equally as everywhere; for they will have some things useful even to those at war. It is blessed, on the one hand, to farm all-bearing land in peace, receiving varied fruit of different seasons, to pluck, to reap, to vintage, taking abundant wealth from one country, not needing foreign goods, nor waiting on hopes from across the sea. But as things are now, not all countries bear all things: some, by excess of cold, nourish only grain-fields; sandy others vintage the vine or the olive; the much-spread plains possess and bear wine rarely, and some only a poor wine at that. Let us therefore furnish a device for both: to find wine when it is not, and the change of the poor into the better.

Let the measure of wine with water be tenfold; then let it be boiled with much fire, until the tenth of the mixture is consumed. There is a loss of the water, but a gain of the wine, which has become better in the virtue of which the flame is mother. Doing this the ancients reported that the fire midwifed Dionysus. Those who do not have vines, nor have been fortunate in the fruit from these plants, have imitated wine by a preparation of other seeds or tree-fruits, or by a composition of roots, declining the drink of pure water. The Egyptians, at any rate, drink zython, the Paeonians kamon, the Celts kerbesia, the Babylonians sikera. For Dionysus left them in anger and gifted them nothing of vine-culture, keeping the victory-prizes for Greek farmers alone. Let us imitate Dionysus; let us toast to men the friendship-cup without the cluster. I know other fruits that are makers of wine.

This, then, is a preparation of wine: one mina of dried figs, three choes of clean seawater, two bundles of licorice. Chop the roots and throw them into a jar from the fig, then again having passed a portion of the root through up to three times, and then pour on the sea — and under the vessel let there be horse-fennel, about two bundles — and let it soak five days and pour it off through a strainer, and let it be sweet. Then give sweet water the same measure and let it soak five days, and having strained this mix it with the former; then having stoppered it put it away in the shade, and it will be good wine. If, having poured water, you should let it soak upon these seven days, and having strained it you should throw in the pressed-husks from the jars and stopper it until the tenth day, you will make vinegar — but do it in winter.