THE WINES SHOWN AT THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION. 509 



nearer the latter than the former strength, which would therefore 

 reduce the supposed error, and what remained, divided through the 

 table, would be inappreciable in practice at those parts most commonly 

 required. 



On inspection of the series of tests, some great extremes of strength 

 are observable ; for instance, one sample from the Roman States is 52*7 

 per cent., one from Sicily 46 - 5, and one from Piedmont 43*1 ; Algeria 

 also sends one 45 - 2. Each of these so-called wines partook more of the 

 character of a liqueur, being sweet and highly fortified. Others of a 

 less but still high degree of strength were professedly imitations of 

 fortified wines, such as port, sherry, madeira, &c. Piedmont, on the 

 other hand, furnished a sparkling red wine of a poor, low class, which 

 only gave a strength of 7 - 7 per cent. ; and Hungary also, in one of her 

 choicest sorts, sends the lowest of the whole, one sample being only 7*2 

 per cent. This latter is called " Menes Essenz," and is a red wine of 

 the district of Arad ; it is produced from selected grapes, the juice of 

 which has been extracted by the mere weight of their mass, without 

 added pressure. A consequence of this mode of treatment is, that more 

 of the sugar and less of the ferment and acids of the grape are in the 

 must, and the spirit produced is necessarily small in quantity. In 

 testing this sample, when somewhat less than two-thirds of its bulk had 

 been distilled over, the residuum had become so thick as to endanger 

 the retort, and when cold it formed a hard dark amorphous mass, of an 

 intense brown colour, proving the very large preponderance of sugar. 



It may not be uninteresting to observe, that on taking the average 

 strength of the weakest wines of each country (omitting the two excep- 

 tional samples just mentioned) it exceeds in each instance the limit 

 which in the first differential wine tariff was fixed as the strength of 

 Class A, viz. 18'0 ; thus : — 



In Italy the average lowest strength is . 19 ■ 5 



In the Zollverein 19-7 



In the Austrian Empire . . . 18 • 4 



In France 19-0 



In Australia 21 • 3 



From this it is probable, that when the foreigner considered IS 

 degrees as a sufficient limit, it was with reference to the French com- 

 putation, which by the table would equal 31 - 3 per cent, of proof spirit. 



Three of the samples tested were altogether exceptional. The first 

 two were samples called " Wine of Water," from Bavaria ; one of these 

 was said to be " produced at twopence the bottle ;" the other " at three- 

 pence." The former was a light agreeable drink, with. 19'6 per cent, of 

 spirit ; the latter was sweeter, and of better body, and had 29 '9 per ceut. 

 The third exceptional sample was a mead or metheglin, a honey wine, 

 called " Alt Deutscher Meth." This, according to our customs' tariff, is 

 free of duty, yet it contained no less than 29 - 2 per cent, of proof spirit, 

 at which strength wine would be liable to 2s. 6cl. per gallon duty. 



