The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-10
RoyaliSt and Wine-GroWer.

The fact that a man is a poisoner is moth
ing against his prose" and SO the fact that a
man is a royalist should be nothing against his
wine But at least ardently democratic
American living in Paris declares that he will
never again be able to enjoy bottle of the di-
vine Chateau Yquem.
For the Count of Lur-Saluces proprietor of
the chateau. whose name is on every bottle,
has just been killed in a railroad accident, and
the press with shocking lack of a sense of pro-
portion dwells on his political history and tells
little of the benefits he has conferred on thirst
ing humanity.
Sad to tell his political history is shock
ing one for democrats u contemplate. He was
head of a royast propaganda society. official
delegates for the southwest region of France
for his grace the exiled Duke of Orleans legit-
imist heir to the throne of France. and was
sentenced to five years Punishment some years
ago for plotting against the safety of the state
A royalist revolutionist.
But need ones political convictions inter-
fere with the enjoyment of a bottle of the
golden fluid which the count used to manufac-
ture at his famous chateau in Sauterne?
II was at the Chateau Yquem. in fact, that
the process of making sweet white wines, now
celebrated under the names of the regions of
Sauterne and Barsac, discovered. 1t hap
pened half century ago that Yquem had
bumper crop of grapes. Pickers were i'm
ported in droves the presses worked night and
day squeezing the precious juice but despite
all possible haste the broiling continued to
rpen the golden cluster until quarter of the
crop fairly rotted the vines.
With true French thrift it was decided that
the over-ripe grapes should not be wasted. but
Though with many misgivings} pressed into
wine. 1t might at least be good enough for the
help"
The juice was put through all the processes
that go to the making of wine. After the vari-
Gus rackings and barrelings-which occupy two
or three years-it was skeptcal!y tasted.
What nectar was this? The bright yellow
liquid flowed languidly forth syrupy
stream. The expert tasters of the Who'll, coun-
try-side were called in to pass judgment.
Since that day not a single grape has been
picked at Chateau Yquem. at all the cha
to&Lx on tho Sauterne hills. until il has reached
that degree of grown. shrivelled oyer-ripeness
that the proud growers term noble rottenness'
la pourriture noble.
The Lur-Saluces family also owns the near
by Chateau Coutet where the writer, during
the 1921 wine harvest, had the pleasure of
lunching in the wine-celar. The host had
spread himself for the oCcaSion-there were
ortolans The bill of fare.
Many people have heard that ortolans are
great delicacy without knowing exactly what
they are. They are very small birds about the
size of a sparrow. The way they are dished
up in the Bordeau country makes them fit
dish indeed for king Or would be king
After the ortolap course the writer's neigh
Dor at table explained that the birds are raised
in captivity. When the age for fatening an
proaChes their eyes are put out. after which
they never fly, but just stand around for weeks
doing little but eat and sleep. They are killed
cognac whereby they impermeated with a
flavor that is half their reputation.
The pleasure of eating ortolans departed for
ever with the telling of this cruel story For
tunately the making of wine is attended with
no torture of man or beast.