Sarmentus Deliciae, Augustus,
and Falernian Intoxication
A few of us (and I am one) are known
By name when centuries have passed. Just one
Peculiar quality defines us. Grown
Men cannot do without us for their fun.
Our beauty is intoxicating from
The first sip that their licking tongues enjoy.
Then later when their stronger organs plumb
Our depths, they find they can’t reject the toy
They bought from slavery. And yet we both
(Those men and us) become enslaved by love.
We do not have to swear a solemn oath.
No marriage is required. A strength above
That sort of thing is ours. The strongest wine
Is sacred in the rite of bedroom shrine.
[See these websearch notes:
Favonius’ slave Sarmentus, who was bought after his master’s death when his estate was sold, is claimed to have become a catamite of the emperor Augustus,[16] though historian Josiah Osgood dismisses this as a slander probably “planted by supporters of Marc Anthony”.[17] Sarmentus was the subject of Quintus Dellius‘ complaint to Cleopatra that while he and other dignitaries were served sour wine by Antony in Greece, Augustus’ catamite was drinking Falernian in Rome.[18]
This refers to Sarmentus, the former slave of Marcus Favonius, who was bought by Octavian
Falernian was a white wine with a relatively high alcohol content, possibly 30 proof, or 15% ABV. In describing Faustian Falernian, Pliny the Elder alluded to this as he noted “It is the only wine that takes light when a flame is applied to it”.[6] It was produced from late-harvested grapes exclusively as a brief freeze or a series of frosts were said to improve the resulting wine’s flavor. The wine was typically allowed to maderise, aging for 15–20 years in clay amphorae before drinking. The oxidation gave the wine a color of amber to dark brown. In 37 BC, Varro wrote in Res Rusticae that Falernian increased in value as it matured,[7] and Pliny recorded that Falernian from the famed Opimian vintage of 121 BC was served at a banquet in 60 BC honoring Julius Caesar for his conquests in Spain.[8] There were three notable varieties: Dry (Latin austerum), Sweet (dulce), and Light (tenue).
“This Sarmentus was one of those youths that Caesar entertained for his pleasures, such as the Romans call Deliciae.” Plutarch’s Lives]