Journal of Agriculture. [lo Nov.. 1909. 



In the case of very highly rectified neutral (or silent) spirit, the 

 material from which it was made ceases to influence its taste, and, until 

 recently, any sufiicientlv " clean " spirit was used, the remission of Excise 

 duty made in favour of wine spirit has led to the latter being now exclu- 

 sively employed. Much of this spirit comes from the district of La Mancha 

 (Valdepenas and Manzanares), and from Cataluna. A movement is on 

 foot for the establishment in lich, low-lying lands in the neighbourhood of 

 Jerez, unsuitable for the production of high class sherrv, of vineyards for 

 the supply of fortifying .spirit. 



The Final Blend. 



We have seen (page 516) that sherry, as met uith outside Spain, is 

 almost always a blended wine. Tiie blending takes place usually a very 

 short time before shipment, sufficient only to enable the wine to be 

 fined before being sent out. Large stocks of readv blended wine are not 

 kept in the bodegas. To attempt to describe the average composition of 

 these blends would be only misleading. There is no average composition — 

 each customer wants his own particular wine — usuallv a repetition of a 

 previous order, though he may perhaps specifv a slight variation in some 

 particular direction ; he may wish the wine to be more oloroso, or moie 

 amontillado, darker, or lighter in colour, &c. 



Though the demand is now chiefly for the fino type, this is usuallv 

 more or less modified by a certain proportion of oloroso, amontillado, or 

 some of the composite soleras — sometimes by all three. The greatest 

 complexity prevails, and scarcely two lots of sherry gO' out exactlv alike. 



According to the price the purchaser is prepared to pay, he will receive 

 a blend made up exclusively of Solera wines or of these mixed with a 

 varying proportion of the cheaper wines of the surrounding districts — 

 Moguer, Arcos. Huelva, Seville, and even Valdepeiias, and Manzanares. 

 Skill in blending is carried to a high degree, and. in the case of few other 

 wines, is quality so exactly adjusted to money value. For example, there 

 \-> remarkably little difference to be found between, sav, fino wines at ^40 

 a butt purchased from several of the leading Jerez wine firms. The exact 

 composition of the blend being decided on, it is made up. A small quan- 

 tity of sweet wine, either Pedro Ximenes or Paxarete, for high class 

 sherry, is almost invariably added, and the strength is brought up to the 

 required standard. If the colour is to be increased, this is done bv adding a 

 little vino de color (page 521). 



Fining. 



Sherry is nearly always fined {boni-ficado in Spanish) before being 

 shipped. The process seems to be applied in the usual way, the fining 

 materials in most general use being isinglass, eggs, and Spanish clay. 

 Though chiefly exported in bulk, bottling arrangements on an extensive 

 scale are conducted by most of the larger firms, as will be seen from the 

 photograph of the bottling room nf Diez Hermanos, reproduced in last 

 issue. 



Cognac Jerezano. 



This description of the wines of Jerez cannot be closed without brief 

 reference to the brandy now so largely distilled in the district, which is 

 known throughout Spain as " Cognac Jerezano." It has in that country 



