1869 Cooling Cups and Dainty drinks by William Terrington

18

JFines.

as constituting themselves. Some of the higher sorts, indeed, resemble very much the Yins de Grave, but in general they are drier than the French white wines, and are charac- terized by a delicate flavour and aroma, called in the country gave, which is quite peculiar to them, and of which it would be in vain to attempt the a distinct order ' by

A notion prevails that they are natu- ; and the inferior kinds are no doubt so ;

description.

rally acid

but this is not the constant chai’acter of the Rhine wines, which in good years have not any perceptible acidity to the taste — at least, not more than is com- mon to them, with the growth of warmer regions. But their chief distinction is their extreme dura-

in which they are not surpassed by any

bility,

Of this durability an

of wine/'

other

species

interesting anecdote In the autumn of 1800, Lord Nelson left the Mediterranean, and, on his way to England, stopped at Hamburg. A wine- merchant, seventy years of age, who had some highly prized Rhine wine of the vintage of 1625, which had been in his keeping fifty years, felt desirous to bestow some on an extraordinary occa- sion, and present it to some celebrated and worthy Accoi’dingly, he asked Lord Nelson to accept six dozen of this matchless wine, hoping that is told. personage.