552 
'note  on  sherry  wine. 
superadded  to  it  a  system  of  mixing  and  fortifying  that  tends  to 
produce  an  intoxicating  rather  than  a  purely  exhilarating  bev- 
erage. 
"  An  opinion  seems  generally  prevalent  among  the  growers 
and  shippers  that  natural  wines  will  not  maintain  themselves 
sound  unless  assisted  by  the  addition  of  distilled  spirit.  Even 
to  some  extent,  where  it  is  not  the  practice  to  add  spirit  to  the 
'must,'  as  in  the  case  of  the  Montilla,  Val-de-penas,  &c,  it  is 
usual,  and  considered  necessary,  before  the  wines  are  made  up 
for  exportation,  to  add  spirit  to  a  greater  or  less  amount.  I  am 
not  prepared  to  endorse  this  statement  fully. 
"  s^may  be  as  well  to  give  here  a  resume'  of  the  general  prac- 
tice in  the  Xeres  districts  of  preparing  wines. 
"  No  spirit  is  added  to  the  4  must '  during  the  process  of  manu- 
facture or  pressing  the  grape  at  the  vineyard,  unless  it  is  inten- 
ded to  be  made  4  sweet  wine,'  and  then  six  arobas  (equal  to 
about  twenty-one  gallons  of  spirit,  about  60  per  cent,  over 
proof)  are  added,  in  order  to  prevent  fermentation,  and  to  retain 
its  sweetness  ;  and  when  this  sweet  wine  is  drawn  off  the  lees, 
about  six  months  after  it  is  made,  three  or  four  gallons  more 
spirit  are  added,  making  in  all  between  twenty-four  and  twenty- 
five  gallons  spirit  to  the  butt.  The  sweet  wine  is  not  usually  ex- 
ported, but  is  used  for  the  preparation  of  other  wines  intended 
for  the  English  market,  and  is  added  to  other  wines  to  give  body, 
flavor,  and  strength,  in  such  proportion  as  is  deemed  necessary 
according  to  the  style  and  taste  required. 
"  The  wines  intended  for  white  dry  wines,  and  eventually  to 
be  made  up  into  what  is  known  in  England  as  'sherry,'  have 
about  two  gallons  of  spirit  added  to  the  butt  when  drawn  off  the 
lees  in  the  month  of  March  or  April  following  the  vintage,  and 
during  the  rearing  of  them  further  small  quantities,  from  time 
to  time,  as  required.  These  wines  selected  for  vino  fino,  Amon- 
tillado, and  Manzanilla,  in  lieu  of  having  spirit  added  to  them, 
are  thrown  on  to  Soleras;  or  fine  old  mother  wines  which,  by 
age,  care,  and  attention,  have  acquired  a  body  and  character, 
