ON VINEYARDS. 



213 



like that of some small French white wines, 

 w^hich made me hope I should succeed better with 

 white wine. That experiment succeeded far be- 

 yond my most sanguine expectations ; for the 

 very first year I made white wine, it nearly 

 resembled the flavour of Champaign ; and in two 

 or three years more, as the Vines grew stronger, 

 to my great amazement my wine had a finer 

 flavour than the best Champaign I ever tasted. 

 The first running was as clear as spirits ; the 

 second running was ceil de Perdrix, and both 

 of them sparkled and creamed in the glass like 

 Champaign. It would be endless to mention 

 how many good judges of wine were deceived 

 by my wine, and thought it superior to any 

 Champaign they ever drank ; but such is the 

 prejudice of most people against any thing of 

 English growth, I generally found it most pru- 

 dent not to declare where it grew, till after they 

 had passed their verdict upon it. The surest 

 proof I can give of its excellence is, that I have 

 sold it to wine-merchants for fifty guineas a 

 hogshead ; and one wine-merchant, to whom I 

 sold five hundred pounds' worth at one time, 

 assured me, he sold some of the best of it from 

 7s. 6d. to 10s. 6d. per bottle. 

 " i After many years' experience, the best 

 method I found of making and managing it was 

 this : I let the grapes hang till they had got all 

 the maturity the season would give them ; then 

 they were carefully cut off with scissars, and 



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