Morning journal and courier., 1880-07-26
High Prices for Wines.
Sale of the Cartwright Cellar-Thirty Shfllings Bottle for Champagne.

AO Ao-O-
 Since the sale, early in the present centu- ", of the famous cellar of wines belonging to that Duke of Queensbury who late in life
 was invested, by the hackney-coachmen on
 the Piccadilly stand, opposite to which he lived, with the sobriquet of '"Old O. the records of auctions of old and rare wines have been from time to time suffered to oc- cupy place among what may be termed the f1y-leaves of antiquarian lore, by the side of notices of old books, old china, old pictures,
 and old fiddles. Some of the Imperial Tokay sold at ''Old O 's,'' sale brought as much as four guineas bottle |; but the quotation of this extravagant price should be qualified by the remembrance that at the period when the Dukes wines were sold the Continent was convulsed from end to end by war. At that time many patriotic Englishmen conscien-
 tiously believed that the ''Finis Austrias" had
 at length arrived, that after Austerlitz had
 been fought, and MT. Pitt had ordered the map of Europe to be rolled up, the house of Hapsburg must be finally extinguished: and that the Corsican usurper had confscated all the Imperial Tokay in the cellars of Schon-
 brunn, and would therefore keep the entire product of Prince Metternich's vineyards for his own drinking There have been many remarkable wine sales since Sthe Queensbury one; but of late years the largest prices have been realized by parcels of old port, and,
 comparatively, old champagne. A sufficient ly notable dispersion of superior wines took place few days ago at Christie's, when there was brought to the hammer the contents of the long celebrated leave" formed by the late MT. Cartwright, of Newport, Monmouth shire, wel-known owner of race-horses. Some of the highest prices ever known were reached, 1t IS stated, at this sale. There were clarets of the most famous vintages, some wonderful old ports and sherries, and few lots of Perrier- -Souet's choicest ''cuvee" champagne of 1870, with cemented corks.
 ,.I,o Io
 since the product of Epernay is, at the pres ent moment, the most popular of all the wines patronized by society. It is worthy of remark that, although sparkling champagne has made its appearance at highly patrician tables in this country ever since the times of Charles Ik, who was very partial to 1t, the consumption of the wine among the middle classes, even to the wealthiest, was so re- gently as 50 or SO years ago, of the most lim- tied kind Critics have often animadverted
 and in no friendly spirit, on the cruel parsi- mony of the British Government in allowing only single bottle of champagne day for the table of Napoleon at St. Helena and the conservative Sir Walter Scott has compassion ately protested against the conduct of Lord Bathurst and Sir Hudson Towe in denying the captive F'even the solace of intoxication. 5 The truth is that Napoleon did not care for champagne. His favorite wine was Cham bertin, and of that he partook very sparing- ly, and it is possible that the largest share of the solitary flask of 'tizz" allotted to his ta- ble fell to the portion of tEe officers of his suite and the Countess Bertrand Touching champanne, that delicious wine may 6c said to have owed much of it's popularity to the steady patronage bestowed upon 1t by George w., although toward the end of that expen- sive monarch's career he is said to have cor rected the excessive sweetness of the ''spu- nantes calices' by an admixture of cognac, or even of the humble but fortifying Hol- land. These, however, were long before the days of dry" or ''extra dry" champagnes The sparkling Nines' sold at Mr Cartwright's sale comprised the Carte dor" of 1870, which went for from SIP to e15 per dozen; while the choicest ''cuvee" of 1865 found purchaser at the amazing price of e1S dozen, or 30s bottle. Romance Con- ti Burgundy of 1756 brought .e11 per dozen and some choice old madeira, shipped by Leacock and bottled in 1862, was knocked down at the rate of POS. a bottle The as- sortment of sherries comprised some truly remarkable s'numbersp as the musical critics would say. The choicest of the old deep golden sherries, familiarly termed Bristol ]