The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-07-11
From the Chambers Journal.]
WINE As IT'S.


whatever; but certainly experience goes
greatly against the belief that there is any
truth in the wine of modern days. For any
thing we know to the contrary matters may
have been just as bad in the days of the
LecullusesEnay even the gods themselves
may have been cheated in their Nectar. But
we do know that whilst the British public
are every day becoming more OF a wine
drinking people and probably just because
they are becoming so-the adulteration of
wine is every day practiced to greater per-
lection. Genuine wine can no doubt be OBJ
tanned, and, as it happens, too, wine of the
most wholesome Sort and at comparatively
low prices. But it also happens that this
class of wine has not yet come into general
favor in England That the higher priced
wines most in demand must be taken largely
on trust as to genuineness, we think we can
have very little difficulty in showing.
Sherry is probably tire wine most in de-
mand in this country; but any dealer who
knows his trade, and who is reasonably dis
posed to be honest, must frankly allow that
we are far more indebted to Africa than to
Spain for the wine that passes under the
name of sherry, According to tolerably
trustworthy authority, it is in proof that
fully three-fourths of the article sold in this
country as sherry is really nothing more than
common Cape wine, cleyerly concocted to
suit all tastes. The cost OF Cape wine is low
enough, as any one may easily ascertain; but
cheap as Cape wine is, we have heard of
even a cheaper basis for the manufacture of
good saleable sherry Cider which sells
sometimes at as low a price as six-pence per
gallon, when the orchard-produce has been
found to answer admirably, in skillful hands,
as liquid OFT of which sherry may bemade.
To deprive the Cape wines and the cider of
acidity, gray sat-, potash, and lime are used;
and to clarity them, white of eggs, isinglass,
or bullock's blood fresh from the slaughter
house; indeed, for the very common sorts
OF wine. horses blood is more frequently
used Body is given to the article by the
use of Fosters neutral spirit-a perfectly
colorless and strong spirit of wine For the
basis of Port wine, the common red wine of
Spain is extensively used; though latterly,
since French wines have been admitted at a
low duty, the con- moner sorts of claret have
been brought into use in the manufacturing
process, clearness and body being attained
by the same methods as are applied to the
perfecting of sherry. Apparently, port wine
is an article of consumption that must be
doctored to suit the English palate, for even
the very best, as imported direct from Por-
tugal, has to be largely adulterated. with
brandy, to make it saleable in our markets
But it is in the favoring and coloring of
the different sorts OF port and sherry that the
greatest skill and taste are shown. Here
however chemistry steps in to aid the wine
merchant, and only relieves of the trouble of
research, but takes all the drudgery of prepa-
ration off his hands. The initiated i'll Lon
don are aware of the visits of an individual
at certain establishments, whose sole stock
in trade consists of sundry not very large
bottles, containing liquids of many colors.-
Morning or carly forenoonis his time for do
ing business, and the transactions are gener-
ally for ready money, with few questions
asked or answered. This is the dealer in
essences, and the essences play an all impor-
tant part in wine making Essence of sloe-
juice gives Il dryness and color combined
Essence of black curr lnts produces both
body and richness of fla vor-much esteemed
in good port wines-ano. expressed juice of
Orleans plums is found 20 answer the same
purpose A solution ~ tannin in spirits
gives the requisite astringency and the true
sherry flavor to interior Cape wines-such
as Captain Weggg proposed to introduce into
common use as "a good dinner sherry at
twelve shillings dozen, bottles included"
For the costlier brown shsrries, very su-
perior wine called Color, worth perhaps
aboat a hundred pounds per butt, is spar
ingiy used tor the purpose of giving color;
and In the commoner sorts, caramel, or burnt
sugar. effects the same obiecl Palm-oil dis
solved ir spirits gives rich golden color in
sherry; and almond paste produces fine.
nutty favor, which favor can also be OBJ
tanned by the use of nitro benole-the latter
article being largely used in ilavoring cheap
siierries- We will not pretend TO say that
we can name all the ingredients used in the
'doctoring Of our drinks for there may be
mysteries within mysteries; but we know
that ia addition to the articles just mention
ed. salt, common sugar, capsicums, grains Of
Paradise, sulphric acid, cream of tartar. and
glycerlne play their parts in adding flavor,
producing oiliness, crustincSs and beads in
the liquids we are asked to consume us port
and sherry.
There could be no greater mistake than to
suppose that adulteration is confined to wines
most commonly consumed in England We
are NOT sure indeed hut thatt!ie adulteration
of champagne is carried to even u greater
extent tisan the adultcration of port and
sherry. It is only a short time since that L
suit in the Court of Queens Bench, arising
out of dispute in connection with some
siocket-wazrants, disclosed the fact, that
champagne that will fetch a guinea bottle
on the race-coGrse, need not cost the retailer
more than thirteen shillings dozen. We
are not LII any great degree champagne
drinking people, yet a learned counsel, on
the tria, inst alluded to- maintained that there
is more OF this particular wine consumed in
England in one day, than is produced in all
France in the course of twenty years. This
is only another method of telling us that we
don't get the real article, but OF course we
all know that; yet it is made a point of
honor in some countries to stand up for the
genuineness ofthe champagne they consume.
In the Pail Mall clubs, it would be rank
hcresy to hint doubt of the sparkling vint-
age Russians will swear that out of the
capital OF the cars ON the Neva, you have
but very little chance of ever tasting the
genuine product of the champagne vineyards
In California, they are quite convinced
that they have the very best ofthe undoubted
NOEL di2u CIduliOu, Wulit LiiC 4NcN 1uihcIS
yyold think a man mad who could dream of
questioning the fact that the only real Veuve
Clicquot is to be had at Delmonicos. All
cannot he right in asserting that they alone
llave monopoly of the drink so much in re-
pute, though we think there can be no doubt
that the Russian has the best chance of tast-
ing the genuine article. 1t is stated on good
authority, that, with the exception of what
is retained by the French court for its own
use, and for sending as presents to crowned