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being the produce of a district a few miles south 
of Rheims; it is lighter and sweeter than Sillery ; 
and that which creams on the surface, instead 
of frothing up like cider or perry, is considered 
the best. These, or imitations of them, are the 
‘French wines generally consumed in England. 
The province of Champagne produces altoge- 
ther upwards of 1,100,000 hectolitres or about 
24,200,000 gallons of wine ; but the finest growths 
|| form but a small part of this quantity. Cham- 
|| pagne is much improved by icing; and many 
| assert that inferior qualities, and even the imi- 
| tations called British, relish better than the su- 
perior sorts when this precaution is neglected in 
the one case and adopted in the other, particu- 
larly in warm sultry weather, when this delicious 
wine is so grateful to the taste. A specimen of 
Sillery analysed by Brande contained 13°3 per 
cent, of alcohol; and a specimen of Verzy, a red 
champagne, contained 11:93 per cent. 
Burgundy wines are regarded by the majority 
of nice and fastidious judges as preferable to 
champagne. A sharp controversy on the merits 
of each took place during the reign of Louis XIV., 
which appears to have been decided in favour of 
Burgundy,—a wine, as Henderson remarks, “in 
richness of flavour and perfume, and all the more 
delicate qualities of the juice of the grape, un- 
questionably ranking the first in the world; and 
it was not without reason that the dukes of Bur- 
gundy in former times were designated as the 
princes de bons vins.”’ Chambertin, Romanie- 
Conti, Clos-Vougedét, and Richeburg, are the most 
celebrated of the red wines of Burgundy. The 
| first was the favourite wine of Napoleon, and is 
produced on a spot of about 65 acres, a little to 
the south of Dijon, the annual vintage being 
about 140 puncheons. The white wines of Bur- 
gundy are not held in such repute as the red in 
this country, or by foreigners generally; but in 
France, they are considered little, if any, inferior 
in aroma or quality. The entire produce of wine 
in Burgundy and Beaujolais is about 3,000,000 
_ hectolitres, of which the inhabitants consume 
| 750,000; the rest is marketed at Dijon, Givry, 
| Chalons-sur-Sadne, &c. &c., and exported to all 
| parts of the world. The best red wines of Bur- 
_ gundy have a beautiful, rich purple colour, an 
| exquisite flavour, and a full body, and yet are 
delicate and light; and the best white wines of 
Burgundy, such as the Mont Rachet, have a high 
perfume and a nutty flavour. Brande states the 
_ proportion of alcohol in Burgundy wines at 14°57 
| per cent. — 
| The German, Rhenish, or Hock wines, con- 
| sumed in England, are produced on the banks of 
| the Rhine and the Moselle. They are generally 
used for dinner, being drier and more aromatic 
WINE. 
has been a bad vintage,—for the produce of warm 
dry seasons is quite free from this defect, and 
always commands the highest prices. The Jo- 
hannisberger, grown on the estate of Prince Met- 
ternich, is universally admitted to be the best of 
the Rhine wines, from its choice flavour and per- 
fume, and the absence of the least acidity. The 
Steinberger ranks next; it is a strong wine, and 
improves by age. Both these sorts are very rare, 
the district which produces them being extreme- 
ly limited. The generality of Hocks consumed 
in England are grown on the banks of the Moselle, 
and some are of excellent quality, although they 
vary prodigiously in that respect. They require 
keeping for five or six years, in order to mellow. 
A specimen of old Johannisberger, analysed by 
Prout, contained only 8:71 per cent. of alcohol; 
specimens of Riidesheimer and Grafenberg con- 
tained 10°72 per cent.; a specimen of Bodenhei- 
mar, a red Rhenish wine, analyzed by Zez, con- 
tained 13°96 per cent.; and average specimens of 
Hocheimer, or real red Hock, are stated by 
Brande to contain 13°68 per cent. 
Bucellas, a Portuguese wine of pale colour and 
delicate flavour, contains 18°49 per cent. of alco- 
hol; Carcavellos, a Portuguese wine of amber 
colour and sweet taste, contains 18°65 per cent.; 
and Vinho de Ramo and Collares, two Portuguese 
wines of deep purple colour, and rough, bitter- 
sweet, spirituous taste, contain respectively 15°62 
and 19°75 per cent. Malaga, a Spanish white 
wine, contains 18°94 per cent.; and Tent or Tin- 
tilla, a Spanish wine of purple colour, sweet taste, 
and strong spicy flavour, contains 13:3 per cent. 
Syracuse wine, a Sicilian production both red 
and white, contains 15:28 per cent.; Lissa wine, 
a Sicilian production resembling claret, contains 
15°9 per cent.; and Etna wine, a Sicilian pro- 
duction, similar to Madeira but possessing the 
harsh flavour of Sicilian brandy, is the most 
spirituous of all the wines of commerce except 
red Hermitage, and contains so much as 30 per 
cent. Montepulciano, a sweet-tasted, high-fla- 
voured wine of Italy, contains 22 per cent.; Alea- | 
tico, an Italian wine of brilliant purple colour, 
luscious taste, and aromatic flavour, contains 16:2 | 
per cent.; and Lacrima Christi, a red, sweet, | 
luscious Italian wine, contains 19°7 per cent, | 
Among other Italian wines may be mentioned | 
Verdea, of a greenish colour and high flavour; | 
Albana, of a pale straw colour and light charac- 
ter; Trebbiano, of a golden colour and sweet 
taste; Orvietto, both red and white, and of light 
character; and Monte Somma and Gallite, fine 
varieties of Lacrima Christi. 
Red Hermitage wine is a French production ; 
and, in all its fine varieties, such as Beaume, 
Greffieux, Raucoule, Basas, and Meal, it has a dark 
than the French white wines; and the best of | purple colour, an exquisite flavour, and a some- 
them have a peculiar flavour, much relished by | what similar odour to raspberry, and contains 
good judges, and called by the natives gire. 
some they are considered acid ; but this is the 
By | about 32:2 per cent. of alcohol. White Hermitage 
or Vin de paille has an amber colour and a sweet 
case with only the inferior sorts, or when there | luscious taste, and contains 17°43 per cent. of al- 
