The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-20

strange arbitrariness. Here. where an
irregular line is arbitrarily drawn. grow
tle vines that make the wine Of Chateau
hargaux or Latte. a handSbreadth ont
side It's vines truly grow, but produce wile
Oh quite different quality. What the wins
likes is that stony ground scorned in the
parable OF the seed scatterer 1t loves,
ABOVE all things, the crevices of rock, into
Whlcn It's roots penetrate, hardening the
plant, and lmparting special flavor to the
wine. MeiOc wine faster can tell at a
sip what sort of ground bottle of wine is
grown IN A stony subsol imparts dis
tlnct hnenesS of taste to the wine, while
that grown on stony layer is marked by
greater body and vinosity.
While vast quantities of wines in the
Medoc are bottled at the end of the second
year, the fine wines are kept in casks until
the third or fourth year. Oncs in a bottle
well corked, the mind Of man may be at
rest about this wine, which, up to a GER
tam limit of time, goes on improving.
W mere occasion for care again presents
itself Is in getting the wine out of the bottle
without shaking. Most wine paatries are
furnished with small basket in which the
wine bottle may rest while the wine is
drawn into the decanter. Wine merchants
wine tasters. and experienc al wine drinkers
in the Medoc do not trouble themselves
about these contrlvances. They carefully
lit the bottle from a horizontal to an
upright position some three or four hours
bef IRE it Is wanted for the table.
AT the same time they carefully mark
the side of the bottle that has lain uppsr-
most, and in decanting pour out the wine
from that, as it is sure to be free from
crust. With steady hand they draw from a
bottle maximum quantity of absolutely
clear, bright wine. Any one who desires
to drink good glass of Medoc or Burgun-
dy will not decant it till almost tne moment
1t is required, thus preserving the freshness
OF the aroma. Good wine needs no bush;
but in our climate (Which, by the way,
the experts of the Medoc declare to be the
best possible for storing fine vines i is
better for a little warmth. Rather than
drink red wine in the winter months drawn
from cellar in which the temperature has
not been maintained at a desirable pitch
it is better to put the wine where it may
feel the fire.
"a better way still is to leave it on the
mantel-piece of the dining-room for four or
six hours before it is to be decanted, when
1T will have had an opportunity of acQuir-
ing something like tho temperature of the
room. 1t is well worth warming the de-
canter before pouring in the wine so that
it may not receive the shock of contact with
the cold glass. Some hosts possessing red
wines that deserve a better treatment, servo
equaled only by bringing in the fish half
done or the soup lukewarm. In such
emergency providence has supplied man
with an effectual remedy tor the oversight
The palm of the hand closed around
the filed g Ass will-if the glass is thin, as
IL should be--speedily bring the wine to the
desired temper ture.
1.-The best wine year in the recor DIS Of the
Gironde is the yeIr which saw the battle of
j = l1,EN
and 1875 are the wines now in bottle which
stand highest IN the appreciation Of the wise
men of Aledoc. 1t is not always that a good
year for champagne turns out a favor
able season for red wines; but the year
1S74-a year spoken of reverentially by
champagne drinkers-Was not less happy
for red wines. the proprietors were fora
nate in enjoying time of peace. and got
biz prices for their products. The years
1877 and 1878 were excellent ones for the
Medoc, aid 1880, another fine year for
champag g, was, for th3 Medoc, a sea-
son of only ordinary vintage. The 1881
| crop was well harvested, and n the whole a
| good year. Eighteen Indred and eighty
| four was not 50 good for red wine as for
| champagne; but 1887 was on the whole fair,
| but not likely TO bs mem prabl4. The 1888
crop, l hear up N hig est authority, 'ha'
| come on splendilly since tine vintage Con
| temporary Interest in these dates is sorely
| limited. 1t is said that me wines OF
Medoc, notably those of the Clateau-Li
Lagune, q wine little known in this country
| preserve all their virtues after being forjy
| years in bottle. But for the best wines and
| the ordinary palate, thirty years in bottle
| is long enough. A bottle of Chateau-Mar
| gaux Of 1869, ChateauLafite of 1864, Oh
| or Chateau-Latour of 1875; may be warran
ted to fulfill the highest aspirations of the
incest and most ecigeant palate"