THE VINE AND CIVILISATION. 47 
This wine has a good deal of strength and of delicate flavor, 
equal to second class Burgundy. 
° 
WINES OF SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. 
‘‘The wines of Spain are grown ona soil highly congenial 
to the culture of the vine, and rank high in general estimation. 
The sun ripens the grapes without those hazards from chill 
and humidity to which in a more northern climate the vintage 
is constantly exposed, hence the crop rarely fails; from north 
to south, sites, soils and exposures of the happiest kind cover 
the face of the country. 
‘¢ Sherry Wine is made at Xeres, from which it derives its 
name, a flourishing town some twenty miles from Cadix, and 
about ten from San Lucar on the Guadalquiver ; the vineyards 
extend for several leagues around the town, consist of chalky 
or light sandy soils, and are exceedingly productive, the aver- 
age of fair sized vineyards being from 50 to 60 butts of 127 
gallons each, or about 300 gallons per acre, some even pro- 
duce 600 gallons per acre. The soil is dug deep and trenched, 
but not manured; the labour is continued to destroy the in- 
sects that infest the vine. 
‘‘The grapes are submitted to the usual mode of pressure, 
and are sprinkled with gypsum to saturate the malic acid in 
the fruit. The must is left to ferment in the cask with all the 
scum retained, which the fermentation raises, not being suf- 
fered to work over, but left to itself. It is racked after the 
vintage, the March following ; the casks are left exposed to 
all temperatures, and sometimes in the open air without mis- 
chief, and a good cellar, as held in the north, is considered of 
no moment. ‘The process causes matter for surprise, how so 
excellent a product is obtained. The high price of good 
