In vino veritas is a Latin phrase that means "in wine there is truth."
The
expression, together with its
counterpart in Greek, "Ἐν οἴνῳ ἀλήθεια" (En oinōi alētheia), is found in Erasmus' Adagia, I.vii.17. Pliny the Elder's Naturalis historia contains an early allusion to the phrase. The Greek
expression is traced back to a poem by Alcaeus.
Herodotus asserts, and it is likely enough, that if the Persians decided something while drunk, they made a rule to reconsider it when sober. Authors from Herodotus onwards, however, have dared to add that if the Persians made a decision while sober, they made a rule to reconsider it when they were drunk (Histories, book 1, section 133).
The Roman
historian Tacitus described how the Germanic peoples always drank while holding councils, as they believed nobody could lie effectively when drunk.
The phrase is often continued as, "In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas", i.e., "In wine there is truth, in water there is health."
