1892 The flowing bowl when and what to drink (1892, c1891)

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WINE

is, at each and every festival, of such impor-

tance, that it at least requires the same care and atten- tion as the meals: if these form but the material part of a banquet, then wine represents its intellectual, psychi- cal contents, and there is nothing more provoking to a true gourmand than to have the most select meals served with ordinary or inferior wines, or in improper combination. It requires much knowledge and intel- lect, not only to select really good and genuine wines, and to keep them in the best possible condition, but to pick them out deliberately in harmony with the dishes, and to have them brought on the table in a manner to show all their excellency. The old Greeks and Romans used to mix their wines with water, and this habit was followed through the greater part of the mediaeval age, because adulteration of wines was nearly unknown. The praiseworthiness of certain brands was found out but gradually, and several interesting little stories may illustrate this: A butler of Bishop John de Fugger had to travel ahead of His Eminence 9 1