WINE AND THE ART OF WINE TASTING. 



I. 



CLASSIFICATION. 



Of the numerous classifications that have been made, and that might 

 be made, of the various and diverse wines produced in the different wine- 

 growing regions, that is to be preferred which, up to a certain point, can 

 be considered as the most natural, by giving an immediate idea of the 

 principal characters presented by a certain wine or category of wines. 



Carpene very justly considers the classing of wines according to 

 different dishes or repasts as misleading and hurtful to the trade; for, 

 as he well remarks in one of his articles, if this classification should be 

 carried out we should have tripe wine, cheese wine, macaroni wine, etc. 

 As every one knows, the order of wines and dishes through the repast 

 is influenced by fashion and caprice. To-morrow, perhaps fashion will 

 oblige us to imitate northern nations and Americans in our " cuisine," 

 and then we will be obliged to drink champagne through the whole 

 dinner; thus champagne must be successively known as an oyster wine, 

 a soup wine, a roast wine, and heaven knows what else. 



Not long since I was at a banquet, and by chance was placed next to 

 a certain high functionary who was to commence the series of toasts. 

 On the appearance of the roast our high functionary prepared himself. 

 "But how is this," he exclaimed to a neighbor, "do they not give us 

 champagne now?" "They serve the 'roast wine' now," replied the 

 other. "Roast wine," cried the surprised high functionary, "but at 

 court they serve champagne with the roast." Champagne was after- 

 wards brought, and then the eminent personage was able to get up and 

 make his toast, a very appropriate and happy one. I cannot say what 

 influence the " roast wine " may have had on it. 



This classifying by dishes is certainly all wrong, but if we should 

 ask ourselves the question, as an amateur does in the wine taster's vade 

 mecum, " La vite ed il vino" "When should one drink wine?" the 

 answer most certainly would be, " Whilst eating." Without a good 

 selection of wines the most perfect bill of fare loses all its value. 



High-class red wines should not be drunk before they have been eight 

 or ten years in bottle. Before that they may be rough, and not particu- 

 larly pleasant to the taste. Very fine white wines, too, should be well 

 aged, otherwise the sugar, of which they contain a certain amount, will 

 not have been all transformed into alcohol, and lessens their strength 

 and bouquet. 



A natural, primary, and main division of the various wines may be 

 made with reference to their color, viz.: 



WHITE AND RED WINES. 



It should be stated here that this general division rests not only on the 

 color that the wine may have, or on the presence or absence of oenocy- 

 anin in its composition, but on other characteristics in which a white 

 wine differs greatly from a red. 



