The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-06
The First Thing Requisite Is to
Get the Unadulterated
Article.
Immense Quantities of Bogus Stuff Sold
in This Country-Americans Prefer
Foreign Makes.

oSAOAeC1 AAIAhs Mayo GA4O A>S" AoAN ASS''1'
If drank en- famille with the meals it 1s
certainly supposable that the quantity IN
duleed in will be gagged carefully.
The first thing requisite, however, is to
procure the pure article, and the gullible-
ness of the American is proverbial.
In the first place, wine bottled and la
beled without tho name of the producer
should never be looked at the second time.
A pure wine has always more or less sedi-
ment. It is only tEose that are fixed
that are perfectly clear, unless they have
been recently 'decanted." This sediment is
caused by tho changes going on i'll the wine
as it ages. The most important thing to
remember in testing the quality of wine is
that the label and price are the most I'M
important part. It is said there were 3d.
600 600 gallons of wine consumed in America
last year, 5000, coo only of which was i'm
ported. Ono can draw his own conclusion.
Here is another thing. Body" of wine
does not mean alcohol. It means richness.
To test this add alcohol to rich, full wine
and note the increasing thinness OF the wine
as the alcohol IS added.
Clarets and burgundies are particularly
healthful wines. The proper temperature
for drinking them is 70 or Is degrees. They
should be gradually heated and drank from
the thinnest Of clear crystal, the bowl OF
the glass being equal in diameter at the top
and bottom. This gives the wine the same
rich color throughout. Sometimes hotels
that ought to know better will serve red
wines in colored glasses, dark red and pale
yellow The effect is simply horrible! Bur
gundy is q heavier wine than claret
White wines and suternes should be
drank at temperature OF 50 degrees ana
81 degrees. Temperature acquired by plae-
I. ;,,n bod i'm
the wine. This rule applies to all wine !;
These white wines when properly served
are poured into pale yellowish- green glasses
of thin crystal, which gives the wine a rich
color, not only pleasing to the eye, but IN
the delicate tinted glass it seems to impress
the palate with greater richness. Cold mas
the same effect upon white wines and cham
payne that heat has upon red wines. 1t
brings out the finer qualities that would
not be peroeptible otherwise.
Sherry and port wines are usually taken
at temperature of about GO degrees.
There is no special glass for these wines,
but a favorite one is glass on high stem
with the bowl tapering down to a point
funnel-shaped. Sherry or port IN glass OF
this form gives graduation of color that Is
gratifying to the eye, having its richest and
deepest color ut the top and as the glass
narrows down becoming lighter and more
transparent.
Champagne is blend of many wines.
These wines being chosen for their excel
lent qualities makes champagne the hnest
of all wines. 1t should be served cold as
possible and never chilled bpt once. The
principal beauty of champagne its sparkle,
and glass that does not show this feature
to perfection should not be used.
The first champagne glass ever used IS
the most beautiful and dates back to the
time of Dom Perignon, the monk who gave
to the world this most delightful OF oil
wines, some time early in 100. The de.
lights of sparkling wine were discovered
accidentally. This monk was appointed
cellarman at the abbey of Haut Villiers in
the champagne districts of France. In
passing through the cellars one day he was
startled by the hung bursting from wine
cask, followed by deluge OF etferyesclnR
wine. Upon taking some in glass he dis
covered at once this etfervescence added to
the beauty of the wine.
About this first beautiful glass: 1t is
about six inches high, with short stem and
funnel-shaped bowl. The bowl, being mar
row at the base, throws the sparkle to the
top in mad confusion; that, with the bril-
liant amber color, clear-cut glass and the
gathering of the frost on the outside,
picture that charms the eye of an artist
as we'll as the taste of a wine-drinker. In
the natural course of events, history
repeating itself and all styles being only
repetitions of something known in other
times this glass is coming into use again,
though glass shaped like an ordinary
tumbler has been in vogue to the exclusion
of this more graceful glasa--placing cham
payne glasses almost on par with common
beer glasses or the half glass ''snit.'
A refreshing beverage is champagne
frappe. It is made by placing the bottle OF
wine in cracked ice and salt and turninl
tho bottle around, as In making ice-cream
until the wine becomes thickened Ike
melting snow, not allowing it to become
SO hard that it cannot be shaken out of the
bottle.
The three finest grand red wines of the
Medoc district of France. commonly known
as claret, are "Chateau Lafite,' "Chateau
Lstonr,,' and Chateau Margeaux.'' The
output of these Chateaux wines is not large
and most of it stays in Europe among the
crowned heads and nobility. Notwithstand-
ing this fact, in every hotel i'll this country
these wines can be found listed at suspic.
iously low figures for these rare and neces-
ties are labeled "Margeaux." Latte" and
''Latour" without the chateau prefix. and
are sold often as the finest wine. Wines
labeled in this manner generally come from
vineyards surrounding the chateau whose
name they rurloln.
Romance Couti.' "Clos Vougeot,. Cham
hertin" and "Chablis," the latter being
light white wine popular with Frenchmen
From the Rhine the two finest are ''Stein
berger and "Johannisberger," both white
the latter coming from the famous vine
yard of that name. owned by Prince Meter
Mich.
When it is known that this vineyard Il
but the top of the hill comprising five ant
sone-haf acres an idea can be gained of tn,
amount of genuine ''Johannisberger" Their
is III this country. Yet it is listed every
where, from the finest hotels down to til,
lowest "Weinstubes.a
Hungary and Italy also furnish US wines
but they are not popular here, notwith
standing some of them are fine.
From Portugal We got our port Wines
that is, to some extent. The Californi
port wine is, however, the most popula
wine in the market for general consump
ton. This is due greatly to physician
recommending that wine as superior on &C
coun. of its known purity.
From Spain comes sherry, the finest Q
which is called "Amontillado." Californi
sherry is used quite extensively, but is no
as popular as the port wine from that state
The word sherry" is q corruption O
..Xeres." the center of the wine shippin
district of Spain.
Now mere is poculiarity Of Americs
und another proof that she is not quite sur
Of her own position. An Englishman look
J, at everything from an English staEdpoinl
The Frenchman's love for France is pro
verbal, but America is not quite sur
whether "her art" should be true to Poll,
and that ahe should como boldly to til
front and pronounce her own product th
hest and the desirable article ar nav tart