SC - Archaeologist find question

[Stefan li Rous]

Lady Olwen said:
> I forwarded the archeaologhy site to our list and the question is:
> 
> "What exactly is 'resinated wine' as opposed tothe wine we are familiar with 
> today????"

Here are a few messages from the wine-msg file in the BEVERAGES section
of my Florilegium that mention this.

- -- 
Lord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas           stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****

> Date: Tue, 4 Nov 1997 14:04:46 -0400
> From: renfrow at skylands.net (Cindy Renfrow)
> Subject: Re: SC - kegs and barrels
> 
> >According to the catalog these barrels are "lined with parafin for water
> >tightness", so it sounds as if they have been designed to hold liquids.  As to
> >whether or not brewers pitch is period I am not sure.  I have been looking for
> >it to use to seal the interior of leather bottles and mugs.  I do know it is
> >made from natural pine tar.
> >
> >Noemi
> 
> "...But it may also be proper to give an account of the method of preparing
> wine, as Greek authors have written special treatises on this subject and
> have made a scientific system for it -for instance Euphronius,
> Aristomachus, Commiades and Hicesius.  The practice in Africa is to soften
> any roughness with gypsum, and also in some parts of the country with lime.
> In Greece, on the other hand, they enliven the smoothness of their wines
> with potter's earth or marble dust or salt or sea-water, while in some
> parts of Italy they use resinous pitch for this purpose, and it is the
> general practice both there and in the neighbouring provinces to season
> must with resin; in some places they use the lees of older wine or else
> vinegar for seasoning...  In some places they boil the must down into what
> is called sapa, and pour this into their wines to overcome their harshness.
> *** Still both in the case of this kind of wine and in all others they
> supply the vessels themselves with coatings of pitch... *** The method of
> seasoning wine is to sprinkle the must with pitch during its first
> fermentation, which is completed in nine days at most, so that the wine may
> be given the scent of pitch and some touches of its piquant flavour..."
> Pliny , Natural History, c. 77 A.D., Book XIV, section XXIV, pp. 265-269.
> (Excerpted from "A Sip Through Time", p. 244.)
> 
> Cindy Renfrow
> renfrow at skylands.net
> http://www.alcasoft.com/renfrow/

> Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 20:40:30 EDT
> From: LrdRas at aol.com
> Subject: Re: SC - Need help with "Compost"
> 
> macdairi at hotmail.com writes:
> << So the Greeks mark their resinated wines as such?  I'd hate to
> accidentally kill myself trying them out...
> 
>  Cadoc >>
> 
> Yes, They are labeled 'Retsina' if they have been stored in casks lined with
> pine pitch. BTW, they are much like Scotch in that they are an 'acquired'
> taste. Once you come to appreciate them they are actually rather good when
> served with Greek food. Who woulda' thought? :-)
> 
> Ras.