JOHANN CARL LEUCHS ON WINES. 181 



grapes and condensed must. They have caldrons holding near- 

 ly one thousand gallons. They boil the must until three quar- 

 ters, of it has evaporated, skimming off the froth when it rises. 

 This sirup is then added to the unboiled must in different pro- 

 portions, according as more or less sweet and strong wines are re- 

 quired. For the white wines no sirup is used ; but more or less 

 brandy is added, which prevents an entire fermentation, and con- 

 sequently these wines retain some sweetness. 



Andalusia produces several exquisite wines, which she exports 

 via Cadiz, Kota, and Santa Maria. The choicest ones are the fol- 

 lowing: 



At Rota the best red wine of Andalusia is made. When new 

 it is dark red, but loses color by age. The Spaniards call it, there- 

 fore, Tintilla, or Tinto de Rosa. It is a sweet wine of much fire, 

 elegant taste, and aromatic bouquet. It shows some similarity 

 with the Alicante, without its astringent property. Its color, 

 nevertheless, is darker, and its taste sweeter, improving rather 

 than losing by age. 



Xeres de la Frontera, seven leagues from Cadiz, has three sorts 

 of spicy white wines, viz., Paraxete, sweet, of agreeable taste, and 

 odorous ; Vino Seco, dry and bitter, but, nevertheless, good-tasting 

 and aromatic ; and Abocado, holding a middle position between 

 the two former. They make also " Pedro Ximes" wine, which 

 some persons prefer to Malaga, and also Muscat — pretty good, 

 but inferior to that of St. Lucar. Among their red wines they 

 have also some Tintilla, but not of so good a quality as that of 

 Rota. Xeres produces yearly 860,000 arohas (about 1,440,000 

 gallons), of which 200,000 are exported to England and France. 

 In England an artificial sherry is manufactured out of Cape wine, 

 to which some extract of bitter almonds is added. 



The monastery of Paraxete, one and a half leagues from Xeres, 

 furnishes also the above-named three kinds of white wine, and of 

 still better quality than that of Xeres, which bring also higher 

 prices. 



Moguro has also some reddish wine of good quality, and much 

 of inferior quality is exported to the colonies. 



St. Lucar de Barameda has red and white wines, which gain by 

 age, and are mixed in Xeres with others. 



Negro Rancio is the name of a very dark wine, of a dry, pasty 

 nature, more keen and prickling than sweet. It is a great deal in 

 demand for mixing with other wines which are deficient in these 

 qualities. They make the same in Rota, Xeres, and some other 

 places. 



Seville produces a great deal of wine from must, of which a part 

 is condensed by boiling. This is very dark, but without bouquet. 



The aivha contains in Andalusia IS^pj^y litres, not quite four 

 gallons ; and the hoita 28 arobas. 



Aragon produces much dark-colored tasteful red wines, which 



