New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-15
THE UNION CLUB WINE CELLAR
AN ACCOUNT OF IT'S RICH TREASURES.
SOME OF THE OLD vIyTAGEs REPRESENTED on
ITS RACKS

SOME OF THE OLD vIyTAGEs REPRESENTED ON
ITS RACKS.
Men TO whom eating and drinking are one OF the
fine arts should pace that part of the Sidewalk on tne
west side OF Fifthave., just north OF Twcnty-hrse
ST., with revcrcnt step. Under the nagsihs u
buried a treasure which should inspire In them ice'
ing like that of the of good books as he treaos
the Poets Corner In Westminster Abbey. Inc Wine
cellar OF the Union Club is situated below the rect OF
the pedestrians in that part OF F1ithave, ana us
riches have been IN important factor In many d
fine dinner.
IL Is generally acknowledged that vault under
Fifth-ave. Is not the best place In the world Ior
storing good wines. The heavy and continuous trahc
over the granite blocks Of the thoroughfare causes
Earring which has always been considered bad thins
for wine. The connosseur who Is careful that the
butler should not place the bottle OF old madeira
or sherry upright lest the sediment be disturbed.
would waste his pains II the wine had been buried
Just below the surface OF Ffthave for ten or fifteen
years. still II is said that the members OF the Union
Club are not aware that the situation Of the cellar
las caused their to improve less with age than
should be the At any rate. unless the expense
Is too great the club will probably have It's cellar
little further from the rumbling trucks when IL
moves uptown
MR.. NAILS INTEREST IN THE CELLAR.
II is estimated that $4,000 would hardly
rcplacc the contents OF the vault should the
hotties and barrels be shattered by dynamite eN-
ploson The cellar has received the apprectave care
of the House Committee for long time, but a great
Improvement in both the quality and quantity OF the
stock dites back about ten years when ii. W. I.
Mali became n member OF that important body. Nr.
Mali IS n rare Judge Of wines and his private stock
ranks with the best in the city His earnest endeavors
wore directed toward building up fine cellar for the
Union Club, and his long membership OF the House
Committee gave him the best opportunity 10 accom-
push this. He went to work systematically, lhtct
ugently and with the zeal OF connoisseur, ana no"
the members of the club view the result OF his laoor
with extreme satisfaction
Every summer when there is a comparative lull In
the dinnergivng of the club the stock OF wines IL
carefully gone over and orders sent to the dealers
for supplies OF the brands and vintages winch nave
run low OF course wines and liquors are bought at
all seasons OF the year, but the only general overnas
OF the vault takes place in summer supplies OF the
beverages In most frequent use are sent to tte bar
daily, orders for the rare Vntages maAihg hecesoa'S
special trips to the vaults.
A FINE ASSORTMENT.
The catalogue Of the cellar is pamphlet OF twelve
large pages containing the OF perhaps 300 xmas
of Wines brandies whskcys. nqueurs beers, aes and
non-alcoholic drinks OF wines alone there are apoue
1870 brands The list gives the names OF the growers
of the wines and also OF the firms from which they
and the other alcoholic drinks were bought. men,
Der who fancies particular vintage can thus order IL
for his home supply without bohering the steward OF
superintendent to learn what merchant has the wine
in stock To be puiveyor 10 the cellar OF the union
Club 4, therefore capital advertisement FOL an I'M
porter.
A visit Of inspection to the cellar is treat which
would cause even an uncompromsng Prohlbtionlst to
relax his bitterness for the time. New-Ehgiahd
housewife who had no knowledge OF the airs Dibendl
would declare that the racks and bottles were shame
fully dirty from dust and cobwebs, while your average
old clubmsn would gaze upon the black Accommodations
with an admiration approaching reverence some OF
the richlooking liquids pressed from grapes winch
imbbcd the sunshine on French or Spanish hills TWO
or three generations ago, and there Is brandy which Is
almost as old as the century.
SOME OF THE TREASURES.
A Union Club member who wishes to drink Rhne
or Moselle wine will find seventeen kinds to choose
FROM ranging from the moderate-prced Deldesheimer
and Nersteiner to the king of German-grown bever-
ages the JohannisbeIger Cabinet OF this last named
there is supply Of the vintage of 1864 crystaiza-
ton of all that Is best in the art Of the wnegrower
OF the Rheinish province. OF The stilnsly haihed
ebfraumch there is choice lot OF the year To- D.
Rudesheimer Berg. 1868 is an excellent example Oh lho
moderate priced Rhine wines. Rauenthaler Berg, 1874
and Stenberger Cabinet, 1865, treasures RANKING
almost with the imperial Johannisberger Cabinet
OF the champagnes, there are twenty-sx KINGS
from which to choose. None OF these IS more tliai
six or seven years old, the House Committee senolg
back to the importer champagnes which remain unsoid
for that period OF time. some OF the club members
drink American champagnes and clarets. Among the
clarets most OF them being Of chateau ootting
are the Chateau Citran 1881 Chateau Dupre 1871 ;
Chateau Latour 1865; Chateau MOuton Rothschlld,
1868: Chateau MargauX. 1870 Chateau Latour. 1870
Chateau Haut Brion, 1874 Chateau BrauDe Cantehac
1875; Chateau Leovllle Lascasas 1873 and Chateau
LATTE, 1873.
Chateau La Faure, 1864 Chateau de Payne Vlgneau
1874; Chateau Vigneau 1863; and Chateau d'fquein'
1874 are among the choicest treasures In the
racks set anar for sauernes Among the burgnndes are
Pommard Boucherottes, 1873; Chambcrdn, 1870; Cham
bert,n Clos de Beze 1865 Clos de Vougeot, 1875 Clos
yougeot 1870: Musigny, 1869 and 1870 Romance Con-
n 1874 Clos de Tart 1869 and Richeborg, 1863 Tie
Write burgundies include Clos de Nouge0t, 1873 ana
1851: Hermitage 1870: ChabHs Montonue 1870
Montrachet Mousseux Extra Dry, and Montrachet
The cellar contains some old sherlies; ports and
madeiras OF AmOntillado sherry there Is supply
imported by the Swifsure In 1o42 and another lot OF
,ba vin1ace OF 1s4s other old sherries are Romano
Cabinet 1912 soleEa 1920 0ld Dy imported 6 6y me
da Rocda very old, Is the chief gem among the port
wines Croft's bottled 1870, sandemans ana Taylor
1854. being lesser lights " GORDON LIT Is t ,h
oldest OF tie mnderas but that Imported by the
Ifel.espon in 1888 and the sercial imported by the
Sapph0 In LOIS, would cast 10 dIscedt on the host
WHO had 1t served at dinner.
THE BRANDIEs AND THE wHIsKEYs.
Perhaps the oldest liquid in the vault Sthe savllac
brandy Of 1903. The club members seem TO prefer
the MARYLAND rye to other whiskeys, although the
Eentnckv bourbon Is also a favorlte. Golden Rod.
nnblcnded 1874: Eichelberger rye. 1860; Welty old
Reserve rye, 1886; V O. p Irish Malt and Belyerness
Lawson Cilenya Special Reserve and King william
Scotch arc other brands which are kept In stock.
Admiral Jamaica. McdfOrd, 1870 Grenada, l547. ana
Antigua 1s47, are the choicest runs. Inc elns;
oue,rs coIrlials beers ales etc. possess no especial
points OF interest for the reader.
MEN WHO RUN NEAR THE TEN SECONDS MARX.