[Sca-cooks] I Tried a Medieval Diet, and also watered wine

[The Eloquent Page]

If you were in a village the local cesspits, not to mention the local 
animals, might be contaminating the water - or it might be fine.  I 
stayed at a farmhouse here in Vermont once.  The little pond near the 
house had a high bacterial count (due to the number of local birds that 
frequented the site), and even swimming was potentially hazardous.  No 
every villager could afford a well.  In town and cities water 
contamination was nearly always a problem.   The most desirable water, 
according to some period medical sources, was rainwater.

As for the wine, I have a vague memory that in ancient times wine was 
often sold concentrated so that it would be cheaper to ship, with the 
expectation that it would be diluted when serving.  I'd have to try to 
find the references.

KatherineSlough