1911 Beverages de luxe

we may sample Nebbiolo, which is preferred by many on ac- count of its fruity flavor and flower-like bonquet. It is also pre- pared in a sparkling condition, and a very pleasant beverage is this red sparkling wine, especially with nuts. Nebbiolo, "which from the wine press cornes sparkling and rushes in bottle and cellar to hide its young blushes," cannot, however, monopolize entirely our attention, for other brands are claiming their share of it, such as : Barbaresco, which is a red wine, round and soft, reseinbling Burgundy; the popular Barbera, much liked for its deep, ruby color, and its vigorous, strengthening qualities ; and the aristocratie strawberry-colored Grignolino, an idéal table wine, the latter the favorite of the late Archbishop Franzoni of Tarin. Sparkling Moscato of Asti or Canelli, produced in what is probably the best-known viticultural district of Piedmont, is c msidered one of the best and most typical of Italian sparkling wines. It has been called "a lady's wine" because "it is sweet." Remarkable for its bouquet, which stands somewhat between fehat of the niusk and the scent of the rose, it has a slight alco- holic strength, so that it can be used safely even by the gentle sex, and is an exhilarating beverage. Lombardy produces less wine than Piedmont, the culture of the grape being confined mainly to the sub- Alpine or Alpine district, while the plains are chiefly devoted to the dairy and silk industries. What little wine is grown in Lombardy is, however, of good quality; the best being the wines of Valtellina, the Khaetia of the Latins, a province as celebrated to-day for its vintages as it was in ancient times. They are characterized by a beautiful strawberry color, lightness, delicacy of bouquet, cleanliness, and nuttiness of flavor, being among Italian wines those which approach the most, the grand vintage of the Medoc. On the western border of the Venetian province, not far from that romantic city of Verona, is grown another of the best wines of Italy, viz. : The Valpolicella, a table wine, ruby in color, of moderate strength, clean and palatable, developing with âge a délicate, violet-like bouquet. Somewhat reseinbling Burgundy, it has, however, a certain tendency to sparkle, a quality this, that has been lately utilized in preparing of this type a sparkling variety, which finds considérable favor among consuniers in this country. The allurements of Stecchetti's poetry are not necessary to initiate the traveller into the delightful "soles of Venice and wine of Conegliano," another of the celebrated Venetian vint- ages, and, probably, the most popular sparkling wine of Italy, for the latter speaks for itself, once you have gotten well ac- quainted with it. As we proceed further through the Po Valley, skirting the