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I don’t assume
to be a scholar of Longfellow, but I can’t help but question his
theme in this poem (I have only quoted the last two of a dozen
stanzas). At first reading it seems to praise the legacy of wine
through history, but upon further study the message is a bit more
mixed. The Lucullus mentioned was an extravagant Roman general of
the first century BC, known among other activities for his conquest
of Armenia. If you look up the variant lucullan in the
dictionary you’ll find the words lavish and luxurious as
definitions. These sentiments are often associated with the noble
Falernian in historical passages, so it’s no surprise to see such
references here.
The last stanza tells a different story, if only for the mention
of old Silenus. Silenus, the mythical son of Pan (not Peter) who was
raised by the god Dionysus, was a none-too-glamorous character. Silenus was a pudgy, ever-sotted, jolly
fellow who rode an ass and probably often imitated his noble steed.
Replace the donkey with a reindeer, add some snow and hide the flask
in a pocket and I think we have the original inspiration for the
modern St. Nick.
 The poem seems to either celebrate or ridicule the
practice of man searching for eternal youth in liquids of one kind
or another.
The Wine
Roman Falernian was made from the Aminean grape in the Campania
Felix (blessed country) region of Italy. The vineyards occupied the
hillsides of Mt. Falernus south of the city of Naples. A white wine
(at least early in life) with an alcohol content in excess of 15%, it had an impressive capacity for aging. The grapes were generally
harvested late (preferably after a freeze) and were then allowed to
partially dry in order to concentrate the sugar and flavors. After
an open fermentation, the wine was stored in 7 gallon clay amphorae
sealed with wax or sap and cement. Falernian was generally allowed
to age 15-20 years, but there are published accounts of much older
wines being consumed with pleasant results.
The Customers
The limited growing region, the long aging process, and the
cost of transportation to the various corners of the empire meant
that Falernian was usually beyond the means of the average citizen.
 Indeed, this was a wine of poets, centurions, merchants and
aristocrats. The names of scholars and poets referencing the
beverage in their writings include Gaius Valerius Catullus (late
Roman poet), Horace, Varro (1st century BC), Pliny (1st century AD),
Petronius (who was partial to 100-year-old vintages, and reports on
a Falernian-soaked Roman orgy), and even Conrad in Heart of Darkness
(the 1899 basis for Apocalypse Now. It’s possible Brando is the only
living person to have tasted the wine).
A Roman soldier in Britain in the first and second centuries AD
would have to part with 1-3 weeks pay for a cup of this wine,
depending on rank. It was a bit cheaper closer to the vineyards,
though. A 79 AD “menu” scratched into the wall of a pub in Pompeii
reads, “You can get a drink here for an “As”, a better drink for
two, Falernian for four.” An “As” was a copper coin minted by Caesar
Augustus worth 1/16th of a Denarius (if that helps). The sign
suggests that the same Roman soldier in Britain could enjoy a cup of
his hometown libation for only a days pay when back home in Campania
on holiday.
It seems clear that legionnaires, foot soldiers and local rabble
were more likely drinking barley water or brown wine mixed with
seawater than Falernian wine. Such libation was reserved for the
likes of Caesar, Cleopatra, Pliny, Marcus Aurelius and Caligula (who
tasted the vaunted 121BC vintage in 39 AD). One reported unwilling
consumer of Falernian was England’s Duke of Clarence (George
Plantagenet, 1449-1478). The Duke, after having tried the patience
of his brother Edward IV once too often, was put to death in the
Tower of London in February of 1478. Shakespeare and many historians
write that the ultimate fate of this medieval party-boy was drowning
in a butt of malmsey, but one source claims it was Falernian. This
story (of Falernian) is unlikely considering the year of the
execution and the type of container used.
It has even been suggested by historian Mario Fregoni that the
Romans were the original inventors of sparkling wine, using
Falernian and a raisin must to induce secondary fermentation. In “A
History of Sparkling Wines” he relays a story by a Roman poet of
Caesar and Cleopatra enjoying this drink at a banquet held in their
honor. It likely wasn’t as finely effervescent as Dom Perignon’s
creation, but the concept was the same.
So, where did it go?
The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius destroyed many of the best vineyards.
The farmers replanted aggressively, but with new
 varieties imported
from other regions. This initial dilution of the Aminean plantings
was exacerbated in AD 92 when Emperor Domitian banned the planting
of any new grapes and ordered half the vines of the province ripped
out to alleviate a grape glut. This edict was not removed from the
Roman books until AD 280. Other factors surely contributed to the
demise of this wine, but the record is not clear about the details.
Will we ever truly know if Roman Falernian was as tasty as early
oenophiles report? Will a 21st century tongue taste the legendary
wine? Stranger things have happened. Marine archaeologists working
in the Mediterranean Ocean and Black Sea are finding tons of
amphorae on sunken trading vessels. We can only hope that some of
these intrepid explorers know to keep a sharp eye out for clay
amphorae with their wax seals intact. Perhaps they should keep some
crackers and strong cheese in the galley, just in case.
Falernian Wine
Serving-boy fill for me stronger cups
of old Falernian, since Postumia,
the mistress’s, laws demand it,
she who’s juicier then the juicy grape.
But you water, fatal to wine, away with you:
far off, wherever, be off to the strict.
This wine is Bacchus’s own.
-Gaius Valerius Catullus
References: Encyclopaedia Romana (2001) by James
Grout; Catullus: The Poems (2001) edited by A.S. Kline; “Aging
Gracefully” (Winter 2001) by Erik Matthews, Winemaker Magazine;
“Ancient money connects holder to Christ’s era” (9/29/2000) by
Gerald Tebben, The Columbus Dispatch; “A Brief History of Wine in
Italy” (2001) an essay by Fiorentino Iantosca; Shakespeare’s Kings
(1999) by John Julius
Norwich;mytholoria.com;WineSpectator.com;Expedia.com |
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