1869 Cooling Cups and Dainty drinks by William Terrington

17

Rhenish JFiucs.

wine is grown at Asmannshausen, a village about two miles N.W. of Riideslieim, but the quantity produced is small. This wine was famed as far back as 1108. The durability of the wines of

Rhine

excellent

remarkable.

this

It

the

is

is

quality most probably that originated the singular

of storing the Rhine wines in vessels of

custom

I

enormous magnitude, such as the of Heidelberg (built in 1751), which was 30 feet in length and 20 in depth ; and that of the Gruningen great tun

I tun, 30 feet long by 1 8 in diameter ;

also the tun of

24 feet long by 1 6 in diameter, and

Tubingen,

:i many others of sizes closely approaching those

1 named, it being a great point of rivalry amongst

I the wine proprietors to produce these huge vessels,

I which were always kept full, either by replacing

quantity drawn with the

each

quantity of

I

like

I wine of a similar strength, or by adding washed pebbles to fill up the void. The peculiar qualities of these wines appear to form an exception to the prevalent chemical theories ; their sharpness of flavour occasions a suspicion of acidity, yet they are highly agreeable, abounding in delicate aroma, and are also dry and sound, while they contain very little alcohol. “ In a word,” as Dr. Henderson re- marks, “ the wines of the Rhine may be regarded c