Many times I happened to read about ancient wines as very strong, often
as a kind of an escuxe for the fact they used to mix it with water and
many other things, from honey to spices, snow and fruits.
But I also know that proper vicification requires skills, techniques,
knowledge and equipmente. Did the ancient greeks, romans and egiptians
really made strong wines, or did they make wines with less than 10%
alcol? They didn't use selected yeasts, they just let those on the skins
do the work while praising to the gods ("spirits" comes from the general
belief that it was some kind of spirits to transform must into wine).
And the higienic conditions back then were horrible, just as the
management of important variables like temperature, for example.
I'm sure of one thing: the measurement of the alcol percentage in wine
is too young to help in regards to ancient Athens, Rome or Thebes. Is
there a way to discern if some of these ancient were really strong?
Maybe also a simple textual account about someone who got drunk with a
few sips? LOL
--
Vilco
And the Family Stone
Every burp of a table companion is a sign of gratitude for the cook