1903 The Flowing Bowl by Edward Spencer

THE OLD WINES AND THE NEW 147 and the neighbourhood. The vineyards are on the site of the old ones, facing south, and the vines were planted twenty years ago, and are very hardy. There is no reason why they should not be propagated to almost any extent, and there is abundant scope^for the extension of the vineyards and a proportionate increase in the yield of wine. The vintages of 1885, 1890, and 1891 are marked in Messrs. Hatch, Mansfield and Co.'s list as " All sold," and although the vintage of '98, owing to the long spell of dry weather, does not promise particularly well, the Marquis is no more unfortunate in this respect than most other vine-growers. Vintages. As my readers may not all be connoisseurs in the matter of wines, a few words on the subject of vintages may be appropriate, at the close of this chapter. With regard to champagnes, the good years are '65, '68, '74 (especially good), '78, '80, '84, '85, '87 (somewhat light in body), '89, '92, and '93. All the other vintages since '65 have turned out more or less badly; and there have been no good vintages since '93. One of the largest and best vintages of claret on record is that of '75, which ranks with the older ones of '48, '58, and '64, '77 is fair, and between that year and '88 there was no vintage of particular merit. '93 wine is good, and this year furnished the largest yield since '75. '94 wine is exceptionally bad. During the five years