The Portland daily press., 1867-10-07
Mys,eries of ,he CeiInr.

Under the above caption the Saturday
Review" has an article on the manufacture of
Limitation wines" which is both amusing and
instructive. 1t seems that the managers OF
the French Exhibition deemed such manu-
faeture worthy of recommendation, but the
Review thinks there is no branch of industry
less to be commended than this, and so we
think To give bronze medal for a copy of
an old master, or OF any thing else, would
seem to be encouragement OF an art which it
would be much better TO discourage. But
copies of such paintings are quite harmless
when compared with the imitation of :, ines
which are to be taken into mans stomach,
the great central organ OF the human system.
The eye will not be injured by looking upon
sham picture, but not so the stomach when
gofged with imitation wines or anythiTg else
deleterious in its effects In the one case,
mans taste may not be improved in the 9TH
er his health is endangered You may view
copy of an old master and, in your igno-
rance, enjoy the delusion in peace, but not
so with him who drinks these spurious wines.
Trouble is sure to follow such drinkers.
The jury of the French Exhibition have
awarded bronze medal to one firm for "Uias
| d initiation" and to another for "colldtion
de pins initiate" These imitation wines have
received honorable mention from the wine
department of the Great Exhibition. Some
other rewards for spurious drinks have given
great offence to dealers in pure articles. Cog
macs are also initiated, and made to taste like
pure brandy by the introduction of an essen
tlal oil into alcohol. Another offence wounds
those French susceptibitles, by which the
affairs of Europe have often been disturbed,
and that is, in the Prussian department is
| found brandy made from potatoes. The bottles
containing it are labelled "Reuder and Keuller
Main Cognac," which is an absolute lie. This,
OF La Charent with a vengeance. Again,
| there is an infallble method OF "bonifying"
| and aging brandies and wines which khas
been in use a long time. An alcoholic infusion
of green walnut-shells does the wondrous
work. 1t is a common practice to restore
liquors to their original flavor which they
have lost, by either tartaric acid or tannin,
Wllcn Is an eAlfdcG Vi Sdii-Hubo. NOW Uc IL
remembered, pure liquors do not lose their
| flavor. 1t is the spurious liquors that are re-
| stored. These liquor manipulators are scat
| tered all over the world, and our country holds
a large portion of them.
| The Exhibition jurors are not the only men
| in France who think that wine, unlike the
poet, ought to be made not born. Even the
National Academy has awarded a gold medal
to a certain Able for his "Liquer Essentielle
de Cognae,n which is spurious and injurious
to the health. This writer proceeds to assure
us that pretty nearly every wine we drink is
manipulated and doetored. He asks, .What
is Champagne? White wine, swee.ened, al
coholzed, turnipized, &c. Even if you buy
claret at Bordeaux ITSELF do you think you
avoid doctoring? Not at all; you buy VINE
that has been watered, colored, alcohohzeu
and periumed." The process is cheap ine
materials for manufacturing large q""h''' !,
OF these liquors cost but little nhonqS' ~. =.
hence the business is very profitable ba' i,-
tie nure mort wine ever sees this country "a
6ne mort y saws a British Consul with
touch oeastbetic enthusiasm, "may be consid-
cred as a work of art as production oil ma
t,,ro The Reviews article closes with the