On the Wines of Spain. 267 
nished. But the leading shippers here, ure alive to this 
danger, and it may be asserted that, on the whole, larger 
parcels of superior wine are now sent to London than was 
the case eight or ten years ago.” 
Amontillado is always produced by causes which are 
at present unknown. If Amontillado could be manufactured 
by selecting and mixing, we should all make it just now 
instead of sherry, seeing that the former commands so 
much higher a price in the market. Around Jeéres the 
grape is zot gathered earlier to make Amontillado, as Mr. 
Redding states, nor would such a course have the desired 
effect. Noris Amontillado an unbranded wine. It is im- 
possible to judge, with any degree of certainty, what will 
be the character of the wine until sometime after it is 
taken fiom the lees. At the time of taking it from the 
lees, every butt is invariably fortified by the addition of a 
small quantity of spirit, and in this respect the Amontillado 
is treated like the sherry. 
The Mosto, or Wust, of this year is of varied charac- 
ter: we have seen it of first-rate, and also of very indifferent 
mark; on the whole it is probably fair as regards quality. 
In quantity the vintage of 1865, though slightly larger 
than that of 1864, is still far from being an average one. 
Some shippers have made abatements in the prices of their 
lowest marks, but there is still prospect of alteration in 
their quotations for high class sherries, which are as scarce 
in Jeres as is usual. The demand for gezuzne old wine is 
subject to few fluctuations, and is always fully equal to the 
supply. It is thought that the sort of crisis through which 
the sherry wine trade passed during 1865 will be of advan- 
tage rather than otherwise. The growers of wine have 
been rendered more reasonable, and their claims have been 
checked, and a more healthy atmosphere introduced into 
the regular business. 
The lowest class of sherry (as of everything else) finds 
its way to America; a large amount of it also goes to 
Hamburgh, and, of late, to France, where the worthy 
Parisian drinks it under the name of “Vin de Madere.” 
Some very inferior wine is sent from London to Australia, 
and a vast amount of bad sherry is distributed among the 
provincial towns in England. It is surprising how con- 
tentedly a country inn-keeper buys the wretched stuff from 
his “wine merchant,” and pays for it. 
There were some disagreeable and rather serious mani- 
festations of ill-will exhibited last autumn towards the 
