Mariposa Democrat., 1857-12-10
Mariposa 4fmotrat.
Office on High St, East side, below the New Plaza.
I E r 81
A COSTLY LUXURY.

The readers, generally, of the DEMOCRAT,
may be somewhat startled when they are in
formed that there is now in existence, in Bre-
men, Germany, luxury, the price Of bottle
of which is estimated to be over two millions
of dollars Such however, is the fact AT
the entertainment given by the king of Wur-
temburg to the Emperors Of Russia and France,
at their late meeting in his dominions, some
of this wine was used-the entertainment thus
rivaling in costness the famous Feast OF
Pearls We are indebted to friend for the
following translation from the Courier des
Etats Unis, describing the wine
WINE AT 81, ,O00 900 PER BorrLE.-Among
the numerous varieties of rich German luxury
which the table of the King of Wurtemburg
contained on the occasion Of the meeting OF
his two Imperial hosts, might be seen the eel
ebrated wine called Rosenwein, of which the
free city Of Bremen is so justly proud. The
Burgomasters only, of the city, as is well
known, are permitted to take few bottles for
their own use, or to send them as presents to
sovereigns and regning princes.
The history of this wine, each bottle OF
which is valued at II 600, 600 francs, possesses
all the marveousness of a legend, and in Ger
many no one for moment doubts the authen-
ticty, or questions in the least the facts or sta
tistics on which this high valuation is based.
We give the curious history below
The wine.vaults of Bremen are the most an
.cient of all the vaults of Germany. They are
situated beneath the Hotel de Vile; one OF
the lesser vaults, or inches, is called the
"Rose," because bas relief in bronze, repre-
senting roses, serves to ornament it, and give
it distinctive mark It contains the famous
wine called Rosenwein," which is now near
Iy two aad a-half centuries old. In 1924,
there was deposited in this vault six large ves-
sells of Rhenish wine, called Johannisberger
(from the ancient Abbey of Schoss Johannis-
berger, which now belongs to the Metternich
famly,) and also the same quantity of Hoe
heimer wine The adjacent parts of the vaults
contain wine of the same description, not less
precious, although not quite so old, contained
in twelve large vessels, each of which bears
the name of one of the twelve Apostles, and
that called Judas, Notwithstanding the oppro-
brium attached to its name, is even more
highly esteemed than the others. In other
parts of the vault are different kinds Of wine,
of more recent date As fast as few bottles
of Rosenwein are used, they are replaced by
the wine of the twelve Apostles, and this again
by wine less old, and so on; so that the sa'
cred vessels containing the Rosenwein, are
never emptied
A bottle of Rosenwein is valued at over two
millions of rix dollars "a rix dollar is worth -four
francs-about seventy-fve cents,) by the fol-
flowing calculation: A large vessel of wine,
containing B oxhoft, Goa bottles,) would have
cost, in 1924, five hundred rix dollars; count
ing the expense of keeping the vault in order,
ETC., the contributions the interest and COM
pound interest, and this again compounded
zone oxhoft would now be worth 555, ,657, GAO
'rix dollars, and consequently one bottie would
cost 2723, $40 rix dollars; one glassful, or the
eighth part of a bottle, 340,476 rix dollars,
,(about 1861 ,sO4 francs per glass;) and, in fine,
.one drop, counting 1000 to the glass, costs
$40 rix dollars, or about 1852 francs.
A citizen of Bremen has the right to obtain
a bottle when he is visited by some distin
.guished guest whose name is renowned il
Germany or in Europe. The city of Bremen
occasionally sent bottle of RoseRwein tc
Goethe on his birth day.
During the French occupation, some eener
ais of the Empire made way with considers
Ole quantity of this precious liquor, and the
citizens Of Bremen think that their city has
paid, in this manner, to France, agreater con
tribution than all the cities of Germany to
gether