The Express.
London, England, 1856-05-19 00:00:00

Ttt (Ell 3 rts

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, MAY 19, 1856.

GREAT WINE CONGRESS OF BURGUNDY.

(IT 01111 &PIMA!. ItiPOIRTIR.)
DIJON, FRIDAY, MAY 16.

When I arrived, on Wednesday evening, in this
capital of ancient Burgundy, I found the city in a
state of wild excitement, such as tke caret inhabitant
had never seen the like of. The usually quiet streets
were thronged with visitors ; the cafés were crammed
with the native bourgeoisie, engaged in animated
discussion ; and the hotel-keepers, as I begged from
door to door for a bed, turned me away with u much
indifference to my fate as if it were the most matter-
of-course thing in the world for them to have their
howls full. After long wandering about the streets,
I began seriously to think that my beet chance of
shelter for the night was to find out a snug corner in
one of the desecrated churches, now used as bares or
market-houses, with which Dijon abounds, over and
above the many splendid cathedral-like edifices still
preserved as places of public worship. However, a
lest effort before resorting to this extremity, led me
to try the Hotel de la °alert, where the. courteous
landlord said he had nothing left but a mansard*
which ha could not venture to offer me. "Let me
see it," I exclaimed at came; and finding the mansarde
considerably bigger than Falstaff's buck buket,l took
up my quarters in it without hesitation. The came
of all this extraordinary stir in Dijon was the holding
there for the first time of a great cattle and agricul-
tarsi show, a coneours regional al it is called,
embracing no less than 11 departments, vie., the
Haute Marne, Cots i'Or, Moselle, Mew-the, Vosges,
Haute-Beene, Bas Rbio, Haat Rhin, Doubs, and
Jura. A pressing circular was sent to the principal
inhabitants of all these departments, requesting them
to further the object of the meeting "in the name
of the dearest interests of agriculture." Ido not
purpose to give you any systematic account ot the
cattle show, which although a great event here, ,
offers little that would interest your readers. This
is not a great breeding district, although—and this
is the idea of the promoters of the present exhibition
—there is no reason why, it should not be made one.
The pens necessarily offered little to interest the
'stranger whose ideas ot fat cattle are formed upon
the Christmas show in Bakerotreet, or the recent
I scarcely interior exhibitions in Paris. There were
some good Merino rams of the Cote d'Or, some of
which it is said have been bought by English breeders
for the purpose of crowing. There were also some
very respectable specimens ot bulls and cows from
the French. Comte, and some half-bred horses of a
rather peculiar description, admirably adapted by
their strength and lightness to make themselves
generally useful. But, on the whole, the cattle show
can only be regarded as a stimulus to fruitful compe-
tition in a country which stands in great need of
improvement, and not as a collection of specimens
worthy of admiration. Boma few agricultural imam.
meets, sot well known in this part of the world, were
exhibited to the wondering eyes of the peasantry.
The weather, cold and wet, was very unfavourable,
and prevented many farmers from bringing their
stock to the show.

I now take leave of the bovine, ovine, porcine, and
chevalioe races, and come to the really great and die-
tioguishing feature of the present gathering at Dijon.
The cards of invitation to the dinner at the Hotel de
Ville contained the tempting announcement that on
this occasion the guests would have an opportunity
of tasting specimens of all the finest wines of Bur-
gundy. But besides being favoured with one of these
cards, I was fortunate enough to be asked to a pre-
paratory breakfast organised by the principal wine-
growers of the Cots d'Or for the purpose of a solemn
public tasting of the best wines in their cellars. Pro-
fessional tasters brought down specially from Paris,
assisted by a local committee and Mr. Selby of Lon-
don, were empauneled as a jury to make a report
upon the results of the day. Among the owners of
celebrated vineyards present were MM. Oovrard, de
%untied, Belair, Lanssenre, F. Costs, Vienot, Count
de Granary, Marquis de Cordon, Edouard-Michaud,
sad many others whose names I did not learn. This
Wine Congrem, the fame of which—if the feelings of
those present may be accepted as any criterion of the
sentiments of posterity—will endure as long as there
shall be vineyards in the Cote d'Or, was holden at
Dijon at ten in the morning of May 16, 1838, in the
Hall of Flora, in the ancient palace of the Dukes of
Burgundy—the birthplace of Jean Sans Peur,Philippe
Is Bon, and Charles the Bold. It is not without a
purpose pertinent to the occasion, that I here
neat the names of those steel-clad war-
riors. It must not be supposed that their
shades look with indifference or contempt upon
the Wine Congress of Dijon of 1868, for, in point
of feet, the peaceful successors of their vassals are
but following out the traditional policy of the Dukes
of Burgundy in the old warlike times, which was, by
taking every opportunity to prove to the foreigner
the excellence of Burgundian wines, to open new
markets for the staple commodity of the duchy. At
every conclusion of peace, after their many frontier
wars, the Dukes of Burgundy, instead of giving to
foreign princes and diplomatists stars, arcades,
ribands, and snuff-boxes, sent them hampers of Bur-
gaudy wine. And in order to procure the best pos-
sible specimens for presentation they convoked, in the
very building (now used as the Ibtel de Ville) where
the Congress of yesterday was held, meetings of wine
growers, who submitted their choicest wimples to
tasters nominated by the reigning Dukes. A striking
proof of the success of their policy in a commercial
point of view exists to this day. The taste for Bur-
gundy wines was so thoroughly engrafted upon the
Flemish population by means of these gifts that to
this day. some of the beet assorted cellars of Bur-
gundy to the world are to be found in Flanders,
and that not only in great houses, but among people
of moderate means. So notorious is this fact that one
of the tasters selected yesterday was chosen upon
the express ground that he was a Flemish gentleman
and therefore presumably a good judge of Burgundy.
To return from this digresmon—about 60 gentlemen
sat down to breakfast in the Hall of Flora yesterday.
The Mayor of Dijon presided, supported by the
Mayor of Beaune, who sat on his right hand. The
bottles sent to the tasting, were arranged in the form
of an elegant pyramid on the Dais at the upper end
of the hall. M. Edouard Michaud, of Beaune' the
president of the tasting committee, made • short
introductory speech, and from time to time rose
during the breakfast to announce particular series of
wines. Each guest was furnished with two small
wineglasses of different sixes. a decanter of water
to wash them out, and a large tumbler (a most
necesuary comma:Hy) in which to pour out that
surplus of the samples which • due respect
for his head, to say nothing of the dinner that was to
come after, might make a prudent man disinclined to
swallow. These tumblers were repined front time to
time by the servants as occasion required. As the
wines were handed round in rapid succession the
servants called out the name of the proprietor, the
description of wine, and the year of the growth.
After • few specimens of the best sorts of ordinary
wine, the most curious old wines in the collection
were introduced—such as Carton of 1802, of the

Count de drapery, and Clos de Ma!troy' of 1808, of
M. de Bearrand. It was admitted that these were
I not the better for their extreme ace. They were given
merely as carkeities, and to show how long Burgundy
may be kept aid yet retain its vinous pro-
perties. The fifty-four year old Corton was
of the colour of a fine Madeira, quite as bright,
and very like Madeira in taste. Nobody
bet a connoisseur would bays recognised it as a Bur-
gundy, but it was still a magnificent wine. Clem
IVoegoot of 1828—a moderato year--wu found to
be fall ooletred with bemiring like port, and in pea-
bet drinking radar. Boma Clos de fdaltroye of 1818

was pronounced decidedly too old. The opening of
a bottle—a single bottle (I believe only one other is
left in the cellar)—of Clog Vougeot ot 1819, sent by
M. Ouvrard, gave rise to an incident. After the first
two or three liqueur glasses had been poured out, a
wine proprietor rose, and, with much emphasis and
solemnity, moved that the drinking of this wine
should be postponed to a later period of the day.
Oavrard's Clint Vougeot of 1819 had, be said, been
brought back from England, where it was not appre-
ciated. It had been sold to the trade in Burgundy
at the rate of Bf.or 9f.a bottle, wholesale price. It was
the finest wine in the whole world, and the speaker
submitted that it would be a flagrant injustice to any
other wine to taste it afterwards. The company,
however, decided by acclamation that the wine
drawn must be drunk. The general opinion
was that this wine had lost much of its qua-
lity, and it was suggested that the last speaker had
prooably:tasted it ten years ago, when it was much
better. This is a good opportunity to place an ob-
servation, which I found upon a concurrence of very
competent authority, that from 10 to 15 years is the
golden period in the age of Burgundy red wines.
With the exception of the wines of 1834, which are
still "young. fresh, and vigorous," I do not think we
tasted a single specimen of more than 15 year' 'date
that had not probably been better at some antecedent
time. Some Clot; Vougeot (Oavrard) of 1825 was
found to be very good, though it had evidently lost
flavour and was cloudy. Some La Teche of 1825 was
perhaps the beet preserved of all the red wines that
were tried. None of the abovementioned very old
wines are now to be had for money. The proprietors
who brought them to the Congress had for the most
part kept a few bottles only in their own cellars, as
priceless specimens of their best years, to be brought
out only on the birth of a sou or the marriage of
a daughter. In many instances, the two bottles sent
to the Congress were taken from a single half-dozen
remaining in a celebrated bin, and in more than one
°see the one bottle devoted by the grower sa an offer-
ing to fame left but • single companion behind.
Among the first wines offered of the class which may
be said to be in the market was the Carton of 1834,
cent by M. Gauthey, one of the contributors to a
celebrated hamper given to the Emperor after the
Coup d'Elat, with& quaint eddies& (published in the
Moniteur of the time), telling the Emperor that he
was of a " boo cru," that he had " three years in
bottle, that is to say power," and that "Napoleon" was
as much as to say " Cotton." A wine not much known
in England, nor even in Paris, Lambrey (1834), was
voted excellent (lout a Jolt un grand tin). The La
Tithe (1834) of M. Belair was pronounced superb.
The result of the day proved in a most decided man-
ner the superiority ot the vintage of 1834 over 1842.
Almost all the wines of 1842 have more or less gone
off. At this period, the company having well break-
fasted and drunk quite enough; several people rose
from their seats and formed groups, indulging in
desultory conversation. They were recalled to their
places by a speech from the Assistant Mayor,
who with mach energy announced that the most im-
portant part of the proceedings was yet to come, land
that the tasters were not in the least tired, and be-
sought them to remember that this was a great and
solemn occasion, the like of which no man present bad
ever seen before and would probably never live to see
again. Upon this the Mayor of Beaune, whose jolly
countenance gave a pledge for the truth of his words,
said that his friends about him were all ready to "go
on." The most interesting part of the proceedings
now follows. One great object of the meeting was
to dispel a prejudice existing in the minds of many
foreigners that Burgundy wines will not bur long
journeys. In order to enable the Congress to form a
judgment upon this point three specimens were pro-
duced of first-class wines certified to have made long
voyages, and aide by aids with them were exhibited
bottles from the same bin which had been kept
at home. The first specimen was a Potn-
mard of 1842, belonging to M. F. Coate,
which had been to Calcutta and back. The
difference between this wine and that of the
same year which bad remained at home was very
great indeed. The Calcutta wine was much paler,
less full flavoured, and in short appeared fully ten
years older than the other. In my opinion it
was not so good; and this, although no formal
vote was taken on that issue, was evidently the
opinion of the great majority of the meet-
ing. A gentleman proposed to vote that the
wine which had been to Calcutta was better than that
which had remained in the proprietor's cellars. This
proposition was received with loud cries of "No, no,"
and "We cocae here to speak the truth." As the
chairman was about to put the question, the mover
said with great excitement, " Yon are about to vote
that Burgundy wines will not travel." A desultory
and somewhat excited conversation followed, during
which the old Marquis de Cordoee exclaimed, "I
think this wine has been playing d qui perd gage's."
meaning that, in his opinion, the Calcutta wine had
gained in certain qualities what it had lost in others.
Ultimately it was agreed that the question should
not be put is the original form, and the company
was asked whether they found the Pornmard that
had come from Calcutta "a good and excellent
wine," a question which they answered unanimously
and conscientiously in the affirmative. The next ex-
periment proved much more conclusively that Bur-
gundy wines will bear long voyages. Some
Volney of 1848, belonging to M. Chanson, of
Beaune, which had been to the Brazils, was
voted unanimously much better than that which had
remained at home. The result of these two
experiments seems to show that travel adds
to the wine prematurely that quality which
is ordinarily acquired by age. In the case of the
1842, which, as has been already observed, is a vintage
which gees off quickly, the Calcutta wine returned
with the fault. ot too much age. Bat the rich 1848,
which is yet too new at home, was decidedly im-
proved by foreign travel. The third trial in this
kind wee a Romanee-Conti of 1842, which had
travelled through Russia to China and back
again, having been four years on the journey.
In this case the wine from the home bin was better,
bat the other, considering the time it had passed in
every variety of climate, was still marvellously good.
After other specimens of red wines, we finished with
the white. The best of these, beyond all comparison,
was a Mentrachet wine of 1818. This had rot lost
ens jot of any good quality by its great age. Several
sparkling Burgundies, Clan Vougeote and other', were
tasted, but the palm was decidedly borne away by a
sparkling La Tech° (viol= ceps), which rivals the
finest Vence) Cliquot Champagne.
After a sitting of three hours it was found impos-
sible to keep the company together, and the chair-
man reluctantly announced that the tasting was
postponed till dinner. After a walk to the Park, to
get up an appetite and see the Cattle Show, the com-
pany reassembled at 7 o'clock in the great hall of
the Hotel de Ville, and were joined by the
agricultural juries and many invited guests. Two
hundred and twenty persons at down to a sump.
toms dinner provided by the load Chevet M. butler.
The grand wines were again handed round in profu-
sion, and the tasting committee met in the evening
to mettle their report, which I send you. A remark-
able sight at the dipper was the presence of eight
farming servants in blouses, who had received prizes
foe long and faithful services. They sat at the
upper table, near the Mayor. It was expected that
some free-trade speeches would be made, but there
were in fact no speeches at all worth noticing. There
wee, however, one important toast, which was received
with loud applies' it ran thus—" To liberty of
commerce, the true means of the union of peoples."
I cannot conclude this letter without expressing
my gratitude for the great kindness and hospitality
I have at with at Dijon.

CRYSTAL FUd►ci.—Ftvs SHILLING DAT, MAT
It —AdmisNANA 4S DaTiesitt, 367 1 ditto by sum OEN
1,513; Snug Aiken, 1,740.