Sweet wines require a lower temperature than dry wines,
but for all alike a dry cellar is most necessary, if only for
the preservation of the cork alone. Champagnes should
be taken out of the cases and their straw envelopes, and
buried in a cool, dry place, lying so that the liquid shall
be always on the cork. Yizetelly, in his " History of
Champagne," says, that champagne of fine quality should
never be mixed with ice ; neither should it be placed below
a temperature of 50°, as the natural lightness of the wine
is such as not to admit of its being diluted without utterly
spoiling it; and, at the best, excessive cold destroys alike
the fragrant bouquet and its delicate vinous flavour.
Wine Decanting. — It is best always to decant wine
through a strainer, and for port always use fine cambric in
the strainer, which should always be taken out and hung
up to keep it fresh, or it would get musty and impart a bad
flavour to the wine.
To ice wines and cups it is only necessary to put the
238
THE housewife's REFEREE
bottles or jug in the refrigerator, as the temperature can
be regulated by the length of time they remain there ; but
on first taking the cooled liquid from the refrigerator, a
wet cloth wrung out in salt and water should be wrapped
round the bottle, and it will then keep cool till required.
The ice-ioell champagne decanters keep the champagne
deliciously cool. Where the refrigerator is required for
cooling other things, one of Ritchie's wine- warmers is a
capital thing for icing wines, as cold salt and water or
freezing salts can be put into them instead of hot water ;
but to ice wine much is a great mistake, as it takes away
the aroma. Sherry, hock, moselle, champagne, and cups
are the only wines that should be put into ice.
Champagne of fine quality should never be mixed with
ice, nor iced below a temperature of 50° Fahr. All other
white wines should be served as cold as possible without
the aid of ice, but red wines show to most advantage with
the " chill " taken off.
There is much diversity of opinion whether sparkling
wines should be decanted or not. Most judges, and those
who sip wine and really enjoy it, agree that the flavours of
champagne and other sparkling wines is best secured by
the process of decanting.
The wine cellar should be kept clean, dry, and at as
even a temperature as possible, about 60°. A gas jet
should be in every wine cellar, as by that means the
temperature can be perfectly regulated. Sparkling wines
should be kept in the coolest part of the cellar, with the
cork downwards.
The order of serving wines is that when there are oysters
as hors dJoeuvres^ chablis is the proper accompaniment*
After soup, sherry or madeira. During the service of fish,
sauterne, barsac, or hock should be handed. With the
entrees, the choice of champagne or claret should be offered.
With the entremets, etc., champagne. After the sweets^
Amontillado sherry. After ices, liqueurs are handed ; and
with the dessert, port, claret, or Burgundy, and two kinds of
sherry, Amontillado or Yino di Pasto, and good old East
India brown ; but now it is very general to have the sherries
and claret only in the spring and summer seasons* With
the cafe noir, liqueurs and champagne fin.
THE WINE CELLAR
239
Wines. — The great epicure Baron Busse always gave
the following order for wines to be handed during
dinner : —
Page 166
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Sweet wines require a lower temperature than dry wines, but for all alike a dry cellar is most necessary, if only for the preservation of the cork alone. Champagnes should be taken out of the cases and their straw envelopes, and buried in a cool, dry place, lying so that the liquid shall be always on the cork. Vizetelly, in his " History of Champagne," says, that champagne of fine quality should never be mixed with ice ; neither should it be placed below a temperature of 50°, as the natural lightness of the wine is such as not to admit of its being diluted without utterly spoiling it; and, at the best, excessive cold destroys alike the fragrant bouquet and its delicate vinous flavour.
Wine Decanting. — It is best always to decant wine through a strainer, and for port always use fine cambric in the strainer, which should always be taken out and hung up to keep it fresh, or it would get musty and impart a bad flavour to the wine.
To ice wines and cups it is only necessary to put the
THE housewife's REFEREE
bottles or jug in the refrigerator, as the temperature can be regulated by the length of time they remain there ; but on first taking the cooled liquid from the refrigerator, a wet cloth wrung out in salt and water should be wrapped round the bottle, and it will then keep cool till required. The ice-ioell champagne decanters keep the champagne deliciously cool. Where the refrigerator is required for cooling other things, one of Ritchie's wine- warmers is a capital thing for icing wines, as cold salt and water or freezing salts can be put into them instead of hot water ; but to ice wine much is a great mistake, as it takes away the aroma. Sherry, hock, moselle, champagne, and cups are the only wines that should be put into ice.
Champagne of fine quality should never be mixed with ice, nor iced below a temperature of 50° Fahr. All other white wines should be served as cold as possible without the aid of ice, but red wines show to most advantage with the " chill " taken off.
There is much diversity of opinion whether sparkling wines should be decanted or not. Most judges, and those who sip wine and really enjoy it, agree that the flavours of champagne and other sparkling wines is best secured by the process of decanting.
The wine cellar should be kept clean, dry, and at as even a temperature as possible, about 60°. A gas jet should be in every wine cellar, as by that means the temperature can be perfectly regulated. Sparkling wines should be kept in the coolest part of the cellar, with the cork downwards.
The order of serving wines is that when there are oysters as hors d'oeuvres^ chablis is the proper accompaniment* After soup, sherry or madeira. During the service of fish, sauterne, barsac, or hock should be handed. With the entrees, the choice of champagne or claret should be offered. With the entremets, etc., champagne. After the sweets, Amontillado sherry. After ices, liqueurs are handed ; and with the dessert, port, claret, or Burgundy, and two kinds of sherry, Amontillado or Yino di Pasto, and good old East India brown ; but now it is very general to have the sherries and claret only in the spring and summer seasons* With the cafe noir, liqueurs and champagne fin.
THE WINE CELLAR
Wines. — The great epicure Baron Busse always gave the following order for wines to be handed during dinner : —