1876 Facts About Sherry by Henry Vizetelly

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Facts about Sherry.

The grand solera stored in this hodega is believed to have been founded prior to the erection of the bodega itself. It comprises as many as eight ascending scales, the youngest wine of which under ordinary circumstances would rank as old. To leplenish this solera, wines of the first quality have to be procured from time to time,and nursed for years. We tasted numerous samples of the result, and were struck with the varieties of flavour and bouquet apparent even in different butts belonging to the same scale. One had a soft ambrosial taste, while some possessed the raciness and freshness of flavour of a grand Ehine wine. Others had a rich nutty taste and smell, while others were delicately aromatic. As the samples grew older they deepened in colour and exhibited a refined etherous flavour and odour, which eventually became so power ful as to render the most ancient among them farfrom agreeable drinking. Two other bodegas, known respectively as the Teatro and Tres Haves, contain Montilla wines somewhat less delicate in character, but of a fine oloroso type,the produce of the cele brated Moriles district. Adjoining is the press-house, with its antiquated heavy beam-presses, while on either side of the entrance gateway are the huge tinajas,or capacious earthenware jars, sunk deep into the earth,and used forfermenting the wine. In one comer of the plaza facing the palacio Messrs. Gonzalez and Co. have a distillery, where they produce spirit from sound Montilla wines purchased for the special purpose. The finer Montilla growths come exclusively from "the Sierra de Montilla,and the district of Moriles lying on the other side ■of the range of hills on which the neighbouring fortified towns of Aguilar and Monturque are perched. Ho regular roads conduct to them, and it is necessary to make the excursion on horseback along such caminos de herradm-as as wind round the sides of the mountain. For a certain portion of the way we followed the high road, with olive-groves, vineyards, and highly- cultivatedfields oneither side; but after a fewmiles we branched off, and soon commenced a toilsome ascent of slopes becoming