1914 Beverages de luxe

Althuugh the vineyard i)roprieturs, almost wilhout excep- tion, were, and still are, Spaniards, the shipping of the wines was entirely in the hands of Englishmen who had settled in Spain, and for that reason, shipping values are expressed in pounds sterling; but conditions are changing, and the vineyard proprietors are gradually becoming shippers of their own wines. Taking the Sherry shippers and their Capitaces as a class, ten per cent, are moderate drinkers or abstainers; ninety per cent, are good, generous drinkers; the death rate shows ten per cent, die under .seventy, ninety per cent, live to be seventy or over, and of the latter, fifteen per cent, reach the ripe old age (if ninety years. From this one can understand why Sherry is named in Anchilucia "la leche de los viejos" — the milk for the aged. That Shei'ry is becoming more popular as a beverage here in the United States can be seen by the increase in the number of gallons imported each year, as shown l)y I'nited States customs statistics. This is due, in a great measure, to the fact that Amontillado bottled in Si)ain has been introduced to the Ameri- can consumer at the clubs, at the hotel bars, and at the cafes in its native purity. A glass of Amontillado, with or without bitters, is beginning to appeal to the American taste as an ap- petizer. At dinner Amontillado is served with the soup, the glasses are refilled during the (ish cour.se, and frequently are only removed when the roast appears. In the kitchen, the chef, when prei)aring shellfish or terrapin, would be at a lo.ss without Sherry. In fact, for the educated taste, there is no wine like Sherry, and, of all wines, SheiTv is most useful for all purpo.ses.