The Portland daily press., 1874-01-14
From the New York Times.
Shorrv

Much attention has been called recently in
England to the question often discussed
among bon riudnts here, whether genuine
sherry is now to be had. A number Of per-
sons have died of late in English towns from
not very immoderate potations of this we'll
known wine. 1t has been much analyzed,
and the history of its preparation set forth !;
and distinguished sanitarians have issued
tracts showing, or attempting to prove, its
deleterious character and effects. 1t appears
that the native sherry in Spain is wine Of
good, but not excessive, alcoholic proportions,
say from fifteen to eighteen per cent. "proof
spirit" The Spanish dealers, however,
knowing the English appitite for strong wines,
brandy and s'doctor" it till it contains twen-
ty-six per cent. of alcohol Indeed, the true
sherry seldom goes to England or any foreign
country except in glass. The sherry of com
merce is favored with various cheap native
wines and other ingredients till it resembles
but little the original product of Xeres, and
is an exceedingly poor compound. The alco-
hol, of course, prevents any further fermen-
tation, and when the Spanish wine reaches
the London docks it must be still further
strengthened by brandies till it reaches the
tremend Gus strength of forty-four to fifty
per cent. alcohol. The British public are
consequently partaking, in their almost ma
tional beverage not of a wine, but of alcohol
favored with grape juice and various adulter-
ations A curious tact also, should be re-
membered in connection with such wines. If
the drinker took an old wine with tie incredi
BILE strength of forty-four per cent. "proof
SPIRIT" it would not do him a tithe OF the
damage inflicted by beverage in which alco-
hol has been filtered or artiicially mixed.
That is, the natural fermentation of the grape
sugar produces an alcohol which is somewhat
softened or disguised by its natural accom-
paniments-its essential oils, ffuity matters,
and vegetable products. But artificial alco-
hol is destructive to the stomach and acts
with dreadful effect upon the brain. All
wines of commerce in which brandy has been
mixed are sooner or later injurious to the
nervous system, They sow the seeds cf
rheumatism, gout, indigestion and paralysis.
We believe the branded sherries and Madei-
ras to be prominently beverages ofthis char
acter.
r1s CITY, ,sts UeIore re Judge Blatc6ford. threw
much light on the business OF adulterating
sherry. 1t appeared from evidence on that
trial that wine could be manufactured out
of various poor wines and artificial substan-
ces, strongly mixed with alcohol, which not
even an expert could distinguish from the
pure, original wine, and yet that it would
only cost a dollar a gallon; while genuine
sherry, even in Spain, cost 81 in gold per
gallon. The power of skilled adulterators in
initiating all natural odors and favors is one
Of the most remarkable things in chemistry
Even so subtle flavor as that of the essen
tial oil in olu sherry, which resembles the
flavor of walnuts, can be counterfeited SO
that no expert could discover the falsity of
| it. 1t was evident on this trial that the
United States have no more pure sherry
| from Spain than has England. What is es-
| pecaly needed by those who require pure
wine tonic is an unmixed, unbranded WINE
| of some strength. For all social uses, and
under our stimulating climate, we think our
neople should eschew strong wines.
The freouent and sudden instances we
hear now of cases of paralysis, partial or en-
tire and of apoplexy, arise very frequently
from too habitual use of sherries, and espec-
tally of champagnes, which last, being wines
of arrested fermentation, are peculiarly dam
gerous to the brain and nervous system.
Whoever in this country feels it right and
best to drink wine at table should drink
clarets or some other light wine. But our
physicians undoubtedly need, in the TONES
they recommend to their patients, pure,
strong wine, which may produce sudden
vigor and excitement. For this purpose
they cannot depend on any foreign wine. In
a few years we shall undoubtedly, in Amer
lea. supply the market with such a native
sherry. A pure wine is being produced by
the community at Brocton, though it is not
of sufficient strength as yet for this object.
The Ohio and Missouri wines do not quite
reach this mark. Nor can the California
sherries be fully recommended, as the sugar
is so abundant in their grapes as to consti
| tute too heady wine. The banks of the
Hudson seem thus far to produce from the
common Isabella grape the nearest to pure
American sherry, especially in the well
| known Rowley wine, which, however, is
something between sherry and Madeira,
| and has flavor of its own. This is from the
! lower Hudson. A sherry is also made on
| the upper Hudson, and these wines. wnen
some ten years old, have quite the tonic ofpure