The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-12

AWFUL 4aoo 3~pio Ly dl LID = S'is'c
Secretary of Legation at Lisbon, sent \
thrill through the frames of hahf5ual
drinkers Of port wine by stating II an
Official report that al port INTENDED for
the Engiist market was corpoied ain;csl
quite as much of ciderbcrrjes rs grapes
writes Charles Bellows, tho celebrated
wine expert, In the Nsw York Evening
Post. This startling assertion was after
wards qualified by his eIpiail ing that
his aiiu.ion only applied to the deeper
ing of the color OF tic wine with extract
from the skins of dried eiderberrieS. and
not TO any a6mi1ture OF elaerb arg juice
with the wine itself Lord Lyttnr had,
moreover. affirmed that the Paiz Vim
hateiro of the Alto Duro aboradei with
clder-trees. Both statements were IT.
accurate ct tie time, and arc equally
inaccurate to-day.
The pr ncipal shippers of port wine to
England either own or rent quintas IN
the Alto Durp, or, what is equivalent,
contract to purchase their pro1dcr in The
form of wine. During the Il nc ~ Tirl-
tage they OF their representatives ore
every day engaged in riding ahnnt from
one vincysrd to the other. for the pur.
pose Of seeing that the vintage is prop
erIy made: that green or damegea grapes
do not get into the LoSaros; that the
pressing and fermentation take place tn
der favorable conditions, and that brandy
from the juice Of the grape aion. which
tfeytake care themselves to ipp.N SHAH
be added only at such times AM in such
quantities as they shall approve
WHAT CAUSED Its pEcLINE.
It is only after having been drawn oil
into large tunnels, when TIE second Ter
rnentation has ceased through cold
weather having set in that ii ACQUIRES
the rich purple hue co'nf1on to young
port wine. That port wine has spirit
pu. In It to conserve a portion of its
saccharine 3hcn the grao are not ever
ripe is well known. The cost ~ THIS
spirit is always gre at,w than inst OF
the best wine; hence the n'ln'n'u1l QUAINT
ty pos ibls is always usec. and IT is
never used unless absoiu.:y Necessary
The late Baron Forester was ono Of the
first to advocate the shipn. ut OF wine
from the Alto Duro wleh,lt any al al
ton OF spirit-but then il IS Nd longer
port wine for the reason that having
consumed all Its natural sugar ny means
of It's more perfect fern 30 \ I'm it has
none of the rich, frufty favor OF the
younger vintage wines. NOT The refined
liuueur-like character Of the Older
Erowths to which old port Wine drinkers
were accustomed. Hel>e they have re.
fused to accept it as a substitute and
from this has dated The decline N The
use Of port wine.
The happy possessors Of rort In ner-
lection are popularity supp ,e~d to be these
individuals who have 'nhc..t d Il cellar
of wine laid down a. Gently or SO aE"
by a grandfather or. ,rrar '.'rlc, and
willie they are to be congratulated up'n
having SO excellent an ancestor there is
really no reason why. at the present
time man should not down port
wine for his own drinking. rs it is CUTIE
possible to obtain wine y nf.v 20 ;ixiN
years of age at a price not to exceed
SO to So a gallon at thu present time.
Wine from ripe but not over-ripe grapes.
with fine full f1rInness and sufficient rich
ness is certain to improve. with this
great advantage, that it does not abso-
luteiy require long keeping in bottle. 1t
Is necessary, however. that it should
be allowed to mature. and set rid Of its
coarse parts IN the wood, and il kept
thus for three or FIVE years and then bot
tied, it will in two years time be better
than II bottled green and kept ten years
In bin.
THE FAMOUS ,-.,TAGES.
The most famous vintages are 1884 and
1853. Since -sss there have been in the
Upper Duro sixteen years classed as
vintage years. IS. 40. 20. IA. AT, go, 81.
's3. '5s. 81, SO. '67. IS. 10, t'72-s and rs
but out Of these sixteen years there were
only four grand years, 40, AZ, '6s, 10,
with two o,-.ers which almost deserve
TO be thus classed|. and 6S-showing
that,on an average, not more than really
one grand vintage can be reckoned upon
in each decade. In 1875 there was
grand wine. remarkable for the refine
nlent of its flavor, and exhai!ng soft
am delicate bouquet; it was scarcely
darker in color than a good sherry. The
only time that / ever saw any in this
country was small lot brought here by
the late John T. Howard. which sold
ten or fifteen years ago for s4s dozen.
It has not been procurable since, and
does not exist In Portugal at the present
writing Vintage of 1870 is remarkable
also for the great delicacy and fine per-
fume: that Of 1878 is dry and emits
strong bouquet.
MATURING PORT.
Unlike sherry. port is not kept to any
extent in Soleras. Most large Cpo~:o
shippers have stocks of old wines of
fine vintages. the character Of which
they keep up by refreshing" them, as
Il is termed, with wines of a more youth
ful but equally high character. Port
wine Is believed to mature less perfec.N
when subject to the influence of ligh.
and the stores III which they are kept
have but few windows or skylights. rhi
ts also the reason why port-wine bottlss
are generally of dark glass In these