Arnald of Villanova's Book on Wine
- Year
- 1478
- Origin
- Spain · Europe
- Language
- Latin
- Category
- Wine & drink
Arnald of Villanova's Book on Wine, issued in Latin in 1478, is among the earliest printed treatises devoted to wine and its medicinal properties. Drawing on the scholastic medical tradition associated with Arnaldus de Villa Nova, the work catalogues varieties of wines, their preparation with herbs and spices, and their therapeutic applications, bridging late medieval pharmacology and the emerging printed literature on diet and drink.
Cooking from this book
Rosemary Wine
Signature dishAmong the many medicinal wines catalogued in this pioneering treatise, rosemary infused wine stands out as emblematic. Arnaldus presented it as a fragrant tonic believed to lift the spirits, strengthen the heart, and sharpen memory, embodying the medieval conviction that wine was both pleasure and pharmacy. Its inclusion here, in one of the earliest printed books wholly devoted to wine, captures the work's distinctive blend of physic, botany, and connoisseurship.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
