BOOK XXIII. XXII. 39-xxiii. 41 



quickly. That vvine is less injurious to the sinevvs* 

 that sweetens as it ages. Less beneficial to the 

 stomach is the vvine that is rich and dark ^' ; it is, 

 however, more flesh-forming. A thin, dry wine is 

 less flesh-forming, but is more nourishing to the 

 stomach, and passes more rapidly by means of 

 urine, going, however, all the more to the head ; 

 this remark may be taken once and for all to apply 

 to every other intoxicating liquor. Wine matured 

 by age and not by smoke is the most wholesome. 

 Wine-dealers first discovered the device, adopted 

 today also by householders as vvell, of adding age in 

 the storeroom to wines before they have acquired 

 cariosity naturally."^ By using the word " cariosity 

 the men of old gave sound enough advice, since 

 smoke eats out cariosity even in timber, but we 

 moderns on the contrary are convinced that the 

 bitterness of smoke produces in wines the character 

 of age. Wines that are of a very pale colour become 

 unwholesome as they grow okler. The more 

 generous a wine is the thicker it becomes vvith age, 

 contracting a bitter taste,'' vvhich is very injurious to 

 health, and to spice a less mature wine with it is also 

 unwholesome. Each wine has its peculiar flavour, 

 the presence of which is a sign of great purity ^ ; 

 each vvine has an age — its middle age — when it is 

 most pleasant. 



XXIII. Those who want to put on flesh or to relax 

 the bowels are benefited by drinking during meals ; 

 those on the other hand who are reducing weight and 



woukl mean that smoke was used to mellow wines that did not 

 ripen quiclily enough by themselves. 



■^ Or, " conden.sing to a bitterness." 



• Or, " wholesomeness." 



4.11 



