Salmantice
“Elixir with historical essence”
In Roman Hispania there’s SALMANTICE, at mansion number IX del Iter ab Emerita
Asturicam, crossing the river through its roman bridge built in the 1st century, with his verraco and
its 15 arch of middle points, its streets, its roman stone roads and canvas wall. SALMANTICE is
Cum Laude and called “The Little Rome” …
As Miguel Unamuno (1864-1936), Spanish philosopher and writer, said: "Quod Natura Non
Dat, Salmantica non praestat" (what nature does not give, Salamanca does not lend). It is an old
Latin proverb that means neither the intelligence, nor memory nor the capacity of learning are things
that a university can give (Salamanca University, built in 1928). Nevertheless, his own motto is
"Omnium scientarium princeps Salmantica docet” "The principles of all sciences are taught in
Salamanca".
«Quod natura non dat, Salmantice non præstat»
Going through the Via de la Plata route (Silver Way), you will come across SALMANTICE. In the
last II century, this road channeled the urban and commercial development of the Occidental part of
the Iberian Peninsula, still used as a seasonal migration path.
Today, we are what we are thanks to Ancient Rome legacy, that is the reason why we must
appreciate what Hispania history can tell us.
The Roman Empire was one of the focal points of the development of the viticulture around the
world. Thanks to the wealth of the land and food love, Viticulture started to influence the Hispanic
Peninsula. Production became huge and the quality of the fruits and wine remarkably high, which
spread the brilliance of this elixir. Wine is just the soup of pressed grapes fermented juice. Indeed,
the natural yeast present in the skin of the grape converts the sugar of wine grapes in alcohol
(fermentation process).
During the Roman Imperial period, wine consumption was equal to approx. 1.5 liters per person per
day. Wine was their elixir. Romans considered the cultivation of wine as an honest and worldly job,
but the result represented the place they came from and what they became.
Concerning the roman wine making process, they mainly used a technique called: “stomping of the
grapes” applied immediately after the harvest. The result is called mosto, and it was the first and
most appreciated juice, kept separate from what would later come from pressing the grape.
Afterwards, mosto was kept in large earthenware jars with a capacity of up to several thousand liters.
These jars were often partially buried into the floors of a barn.
Fermentation took place in those jars, time-lapse was not fixed, it could last from several days to one
month, and finally It was put in amphoras. Wine was shipped from the end of “Mare Nostrum” by
boat in those ceramic amphoras. For Romans wine was a necessity product, it became a symbol of
social differentiation, a wealth indicator, a drinker lineage.
Romans already discovered health benefits coming from wine. Galeno, a doctor, regularly prescribed
wine and medicines made with it to improve the emperor health. All, Cesar and slaves, drank it
equally. They also used it to treat colds. According to Galeno, if the wine was better the efficiency of
medicine treatments could improve the therapy results.
In Roman culture, wine had religious, medicinal and social properties that kept them apart from
other food, it was nearly a sacred good. Wine was made more democratic and turned into a daily
necessity, not only a luxury product reserved for some people. Nowadays, it remains the same.
Bible: Isaiah 56:12
"Come “each one cries, “let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like
today, or even far better.”
"Veni, Vidi, Vici", said roman general Julio César around 47. B. C., to inform the roman
senate his important Victory at the battle of Zela. In XXI century, the real formula propose by
SALMANTICE in Latin is:
"VENIMUS, VIDIMUS ET NON NOS VINCERE, DEO VOLENTE …"