1946 The Roving Bartender by Bill Kelly

THE ROVING BARTENDER

Brut is unfortified, unsweetened and unblended and is the lightest of all champagnes. There is a system of clarifying the wine in the bottles. Temporary corks are put in the bottles. The bottles are placed upside down in a freezer. The residue collects in the neck,is frozen and taken out after which the true cork is put in and it is wired, capsuled and the bottle labeled. Champagne is used in France mostly as a dessert wine,but in Great Britain and in America it comes on early on the Menu.Good vintage years for all wines are plenty of early rain, then much sun and dryness and especially for fer mentation. Cellar temperature the year around should be between 50-55 fahrenheit, no artificial heat. Champagne should not be kept too long as after its best years (12 to 15) it starts to deteriorate. There are several good Ameri can Champagnes and they are becoming more popular as they become known. Champagne runs from 10 to 13% alcohol by volume. From Jerez, the great wine district of Spain comes wonderful sherries and this is where Sherry got its name. Jerez means sherry in Spanish. Sherry is naturally a dry wine and is sweetened with paxerete made from grapes partially dried in the sun.It is fortified with brandy made from the same grapes; this is added while being trod — of course, they take their shoes and sox off to do this —and again when fermentation ends and when racking. Solera is the mother wine used for blending the younger wines and this gives the uniform taste and bouquet. Fino is a pale delicate dry wine. Palo Cortado is specially selected. Vino de Pasto is a very light young wine. Manzanilla is a good dry Sherry made outside the Jerez district. Amon- SHERRY

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