SHERRY WINES. 



17 



Domecq's vineyard contains about 200 acres, and yields 

 from 600 to 800 butts of wine, according to the season. 

 This year a large proportion of the grapes in his vine- 

 yard, as well as in other vineyards throughout the coun- 

 try, had rotted in consequence of the season having been 

 unusually wet. He said that in future years he should 

 take care to prevent this result, by unleaving the vines, 

 and allowing the rays of the sun to reach the grapes. He 

 trenched the ground to the depth of a vara (33 inches) ; 

 he said he did not consider it advantageous to go very 

 deep, it allowed the roots to penetrate too far from the 

 heat of the air ; he did not approve of the practice usual 

 in the country of leaving holes about the foot of the 

 vines, for the purpose of collecting the moisture to the 

 roots ; he preferred having it all well dug over ; this was 

 done three or even four times a-year, and when first 

 dressed in the winter after the pruning, it is turned up to 

 the depth of 14 or 15 inches. 



On entering his cellar, or rather pressing-room, we 

 found the labourers at their dinner. Bread seemed here, 

 as elsewhere, the chief article of their diet. There was 

 also abundance of prickly pears and grapes. AVe passed 

 to the cellar where the new-made wine was stowed, and 

 tasted it in its various states. The wine of a fortnight old 

 was still very sweet, although the fermentation was now 

 barely sensible. We also tasted the sweet wine of the 

 same age, made from the Fedro Ximenes grape, and we 

 conceived it to be barely possible for any thing to be more 

 luscious, although we were informed that in a dry season 

 it is much richer. He said he had about 200 butts of 

 the sweet wine, and wished it were all of that quality, it 

 was so useful in mixing with his purchased wine for ex- 

 portation. We observed some casks marked podrida^ as 



