The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-26
THE WINE EXPERT.
A Queer Calling That Requires Much
knowledge and Skill.

Philadelphia Record.
Every hotel and restaurant Of importance, ev-
cry important wholesale and retail liquor dealing
firm. employs wine expert 1t is the duty Of
this man TO pass upon the quality of all wines
brandies, WHISTLES and other alcoholic bever-
ages handled by his house. He works on an
empty stomach and he makes his tests through
the three senses of-hrst, sight, which weighs
the spirits color and clarity; second. smell,
which weighs its odor and, third, taste, the
most important sense. which weighs its flavor
To keep these senses at once delicate and sharp
the expert must not use tobacco, and in the use
or liquors he must be temperate TO the point Of
teetotasm. Furthermore. he must be well
drinks is called. This is a science quite as Old
quite as large quite as complex, as is the sci
If two glasses Of champagne are set before a
wine expert, one a champagne OF the vintage of
tell readily which is which. There are, Indeed
a half-dozen yintages which he can designate
by their taste alone, without the helpful pres
ence of the labeled bottle. The champagnes of
rs. OF "a. OF 'SS OF "a and of 81 have each a
distinct and peculiar kind OF excellence which
makes them readily distinguishabie to the ex-
pert This excellence makes them also worth
The wine expert must have profound knowl-
edge OF the red wines Amongst the red wines
Garonne from those OF Burgundy and Of Dau-
phiny. OF the Gironde red wines he must be
Chateau La Tour. Chateau Margaux and Haul
Brion. And (of the Burgundies OF the Cote
d'or) the Chamoertin. the Richebourg and the
Clos Vougeot must each seem distinct and in
dividual to him as the verses OF kipling Ros-
setti and Matthew Arnold seem distinct and
Individual to the student OF prosody.
In the white wines also he must be learned.
The effervescing white wine called champagne
must be familiar to him, and he should have no
difficulty in distinguishing the champagnes of
Sillery. OF Ay of Rheims and of Epernay, and
Among the other French white wines he must
know those OF Sauterne. Barsac. Preignac and
the German white wine OF johannesburg, Stein,
berg and Hockheim must be like old-time
Whiskies and brandies are divisions of his
work that are quite as important as the wines.
bas been aged in wood or in glass and he
not only separate with ease the Irish. the
Scotch and the American WHISTLES, but he must
even designate the districts in which each was
distilled
wine expert is not great II averages $40 a week
Occasionally il falls as low as SIS. and occa-
Wadorf-Astoria in New York, the Touraine in
Boston the Auditorium IN Chicago the Ralei yh
sets * BESIDE the saisqy OF Bishop ''
The expert, has been said, must not smoke
He must mot ssa se m and ID
must be as temperate as that or an athlete in
sba and asts and sme may be at tssr Of
always. Smoking is bad for the smell; rich
sort sort of dissipation. even the miidest, are bad
for the health generally, and for the sight in
particular. Hence the rigorous and ascetic life
OF the wine expert
The wine expert works on an empty stomach.
for then his taste and smell at their keenest.
He bright days only, in a room flooded
with sunlight. for then he best weigh a
liquors. color and lucidity. He glasses OF
the oldest shapes different glass; almost
for every different iquor-for these help him
10 distinguish the most delicate gradatons OF
smell and color. The brandy glass for In
stance. has bowl almost big wash bowl.
The bottom OF this bowl the brandy covers In the
close. and. with his nose inside the bowl. rolls
the brandy abo1t, thus getting the fuli bouquet
Of the liquor.