Wine is a well-known soporific, a bringer of peace and sleep. This is evidenced in John Hamilton’s Ane Catholik and Facile Traictise (1581): The fume of the vyne montit on his harnes [brains], sa that . . . he fell in sa sound a sleip. Of course a sufficient dose must be taken to achieve this effect or you get the unpleasant sensation disapproved of by Nicol Burne in his gripping yarn The Disputation concerning the controversit Headdis of Religion hald in the realme of Scotland. (1581). He recommends that your merchandis sould nocht pas to Burdeouse [Bordeaux] to bring hame vyne, becaus it makis monie of your headdis dissie.
There has long been a friendly rivalry between Glasgow and Edinburgh and when it comes to wine, Glasgow scores points. Dalrymple’s translation of Leslie’s The Historie of Scotland (1596) praises Glasgow as the maist renoumed market in all the west . . . till Argyle, in the hilande Iles, and lykwyse to the outmest Iles in Irland it sendes baith vine and ale but John Nicoll’s Diary of Public Transactions and other Occurrences (1650-67) regrets that Much wynes sauld in Edinburgh wer corruptit and mixt, drawn over and kirned with milk, brinstone, and uther ingrediantis.
At least Mary Queen of Scots’ mother knew to bring her cairry-oot with her: Your grace moun caus vevaris [food, provisions] to cum vyth the Franch men both of weyn and flour and uder nessesares for thar is lytell to geit in this cuntre (The Scottish Correspondence of Mary of Lorraine (1548-9).
Attendance at a birth seems to have been a convivial occasion since the Foulis Account Book contains a 1680 entry For . . . claret wine to cummers and gossips [godparents, close female companions] when my wife was brought to bed.
While the beneficial effects of red wine have often been noted, when it comes to white wine a rather poignant note is struck in an account of the execution of Lord Lovat (1747): Upon which, the Warder ask’d his Lordship, what Wine he would please to have. Not white Wine, says he, unless you would have me go with the Skitter [diarrhoea] to the Block. For it seems white Wine generally gave him the Flux [diarrhoea].