Cao Pi 曹丕 (187-226) on grapes

中國珍果甚多，且復為說葡萄，當其夏末涉秋，尚有餘暑，醉酒宿酲，掩露而食，甘而不□ [食+肙]，脆而不酸，冷而不寒，味長汁多，除煩解倦。又釀以為酒，甘於麴糵，善醉而易醒，道之固以流涎咽嗌，況親食之耶。

China abounds in precious fruits; now let me speak of grapes. As summer gives way to autumn, with the last vestiges of heat still lingering, you wake with a muzzy head after a night of drinking and eat grapes veiled in dew. They are sweet, yet not cloying; crisp, yet not tart; chilled, yet not cold. Their flavour lingers long, and their juice is abundant, dispelling uneasiness and relieving fatigue. They may also be fermented into wine, sweeter than grain mould and malt, readily bringing on intoxication yet allowing one to return easily to sobriety. To speak of them is already enough to make my mouth water, let alone tasting them firsthand!

* From Chen Menglei 陳夢雷 (1650-1741) ed., Guji tushu jicheng 古今圖書集成 (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1934 [reprint]), “Bowu huibian; Caomu dian” 博物彙編•草木典, vol. 540, 113.47a.

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Grape harvest in my commune