Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1890-06-06

For the PhillipsbuFg Herald.
Revelation Of a Wine Merchant.
We herein give an experienced !
wine merchants opinion, verbatim. Mr.. !
Charles ToYey, Fellow of the Royal
Historical Society, dates from Clifton
(England), and informs his readers
that he commenced business inAuenc-
ed by but one motive that Of giving
from my large and heightened ex-
perience and insight into practices
which cannot be too much condemned. |
What I show in these pages will, I /
hope, tend to influence the respecta-
BILE portion of the trade to endeavof
to put a stop to the nefarious tricks
which are now SO prevalent
We echo the hope and add another, /
namely, that the public may soon give
up the use Of this ''pernicious trash,
as Mr.. Tovey calls it.
We are informed that out Of a pipe
of "Cape wine" IA very inferior arti-
cle), other varieties were manufactur-
ed under the names of Port, Sherry,
Madeira, Bucellas, Sauterne, Hook,
AmontiIlado, ETC., and it IS naively
added by Mr.. Tovey, a remark that
we strongly commend to any who
may be disposed to rely upon certlf-
Gates which far too many of the medl-
cal profession disgrace themselves by
giving or selling, that these wines are
put forth with any analysis from
the most eminent chemists, testyfying
to their purity and wholesomeness,
positively amounting to nothing, as,
of course, the report applied only to
the particular samples submitted to
the test. And he adds, ''We never
met a wine merchant acquainted with
his business who would not shudder
at the thought of drinking pint of
it."
sherry" says Mr.. Tovey, is derlv-
ed from sources wholly independent
of the grape, and is no more wine
than whisky" He visited Cognac and
found hundreds of puncheons of
grain spirit found their way thither
to be returned to England as French
brandy" He then goes on to point
out that which temperance men have
over and over AGAIN affirmed, and
which is a great point. in the discus
sion of the wine question, that the in
tOxicatlng agent is the same from
whatever source it may have been de-
rived. Even an expert, he says, SIS
often misled," and as to analysis in
spirits, whether made from barley,
maize, oats, rice, beet-root, potatoes
or sugar, the juice of sweet fruits or
other saeeharipe matter, pure alcohol
is always the same as that which re-
suits from the fermentation Of the
grape juice. In fact, in the present
state of science it is impossible to af-
firm that there is any certain method
of demonstrating the presence Of po-
tatO or beet-root spirit in brandy.
The rectifed spirit often used is made
by a still which brings over only
ethyhc, or common alcohol, from the
fermented liquor supplied to 1t; and
this fermented liquor may be made
from damaged grain, rotten potatoes,
refuse mOlassss. or any other waste
which contains a suficIency of glucose
or starch. Really the dealers have
the right idea when they act as if it
did not make much difference where
the material comes from, for the
best wine" is all decayed trash.
Our next article will be the last on
the subject of ''wine," as we think
enough has been said to open up the
subject for further thought. We an
biciPated writing a few articles on the
bad effects Of cider drinking, but as
our attention has been called to some
thing of more Importance this will be
omitted for the present, but will just
say that cider, like wine. will not
stand the test. G.. G. r.