The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-08-16
somo curlos,ties in wines.


Tho king Of Bavaria has given up drink
ing very old wines, and his chancellor has
recently sold to London firm some Of the
most venerable wines which have ever
reached England. Among these the most
noticeable are the Steinwein,' grown in
the Bavarian State vineyards in the year
l540; Leistenwein, grown In the year
1881; and some wines Of the famous
comet year 1911. These are good only as
rarities. . -"- - - a
This was the experience Of tho wise bib
blers who investigated the contents OF a
famous old private cellar In the North OF
England IN the interest OF science, and Hen
ry Vizetelly tells us that, though the wines
OF st. Emillon, ",he BurgIndlcs of the
Girond," under special conditions may be
kept for forty years, that ls an age to
which no other red wine Of the Gironde
will attain without sensible deterioration.
Of the famous chateau Latitte OF the comet
year (by far the grandest vintage within
the memory of living men) which sold in
1867 for five pound, bottle, La says that
it was utterly "gone," and simply as a
curiosity.
At Vienna, In 1878, the grand duke of
Nassau made an interesting display Of ar
chalc wines-samples from his collection
of the great wines of the Rheingau, former
ly stored in the cellars of the Bernardlne
abbey of Eberbach. Among these were
Hochheimers, dating back to 17O6, Mar
cohrunnQrs, nearly as venerable, and Stein
bcrgers, Of the comet year, but all were
completely "gone," as was also Rudcs
heilner of 1912. All the wines anterior 10
the great year 1846. had lost their fine
high flavor and vinous attributes, including
nearly all that fragrant aroma from which
tho higher class Rhine wines are celebrated,
while of their ancient splendor they retain
little except their brilliant color. These
wines, however, are never fortified by cx-
traneous alcohol.
The genuine Stein--whioh costs at the
cellar four times as much as the foreign
retailers ask for imitations-has singular
vigor and fire. Their splendid gold color.
their considerable mellowness without any
harshness whatever, and thor great consis'
tency, delicacy and aroma, entitle Stein
and Lestcr wines at their best to rank
among tho great wines OF the world. with
age their mcllOwness Vanlshes, as docs
much of their body, but they gnin i'm
menscly IN bouquet and delicacy. "Thcy
arc reported to keep good for hundred
years." says Mr.. Vlzetclly in his Vienna
report, "and to improve to the end, when
they are popularity known as 'Krankcn.
welne,' or 'sick wines,'"
Another royal exhibit was a white
Hohenlohc-Ln Of 1911, which,
though wanting in character, was remarka-
bly, well preserved, while "comet' Erl-
enbachcr, proved to have lost all Its color
and almost all It's flavor. AT the ripe old
age of 107 the blarkgrafler- -tIalllngcrberg
wines of Baden have been found excellent,
having preserved their vinous character
without advcntitious uid. 1t was a flve
year old Tokay that carried of the highest
honors ia the Tokayer Essenz class, though
it is claimed that thirty years in the wood
IS an essential preliminary 10 perfection.
At nincty-three years of age some spcci~
mems of Tokay preserved their slkcn soft
ness, though their color and bouquet were
nearly pone all the sugar had turned to
spirit and the flavor was 80 sharp and pun
gent as to be almost dsagreeable. or this
almost nalseous bitter flavor, which con-
noisseurs profess to admire, 1t is no hcresy
10 say as George Canning less truly said OF
still champagne, 1.-THE man who says he
likes it will say anything" OF wines outside
of Germany, old ports and shcrrcs arc as
rule too much indebted 10 adventurous
spirit for their retained abundant vinosity,
and even NIudelras, which 1t Is commonly
said can never be drunk too old, owe some
of their fulness and vinosity to the mode
rate administration Of alcohol III thci
youth.