THE VINEYARDS OF THE WORLD. 47 



special privileges to all Englishmen who 

 went to Seville, Cadiz, or Jerez, to buy wines. 

 The wine called Sack which is so often 

 praised in Shakespeare's plays and the 

 works of all the old poets and dramatists, 

 was Spanish wine which chiefly came from 

 Port St. Mary. 



The same vineyards which produced the 

 Sack of old now yield Sherry. Carbonate 

 of lime forms about two-thirds of the soil, 

 and the sun ripens the grapes without those 

 hazards from frosts or excessive rains to 

 which in more northern climes, the vintage 

 is constantly liable. 



To the east of Jerez, on the other side of 

 the Sierras are the vineyards of Malaga, by 

 far the most picturesque in Spain. The 

 mountains round Malaga are clothed from 

 the valley depths to the summits with vines, 

 and the low-roofed houses of the peasants 

 peep out on the acclivities around them as 



