(2) The clearness. (''The clearness of the bub-
bling wine reflected in her eye.")
(3) The bouquet. (Forget-me-nots, Babies'
Breath, and Lady-Slippers.)
(4) The alcoholic strength. (It's strong enough
to carry you home. )
(5) The body. {Gin a body meet a body, comin'
thro' the Rye.)
(6) The quality of flavor. (The best wines taste
of the Mint.)
(7) The harmony of the different constituents.
|(Ask the United States Senate.)
(8) In sparkling wines j vivacity. (All does not
glitter that sparkles.)
(9) The endurance of foam. (" When the foam is
on the schooner, Molly dear.")
In France, men are frequently educated as wine
tasters. In America, this profession is overcrowded.
The technicality of taste must not be overlooked. The
room should be of a temperature not over sixty degrees
Fahrenheit, with plenty of diffused light. The tem-
perature at which wines are tasted has a great deal to
do with bringing out their best qualities. Red wines,
as Burgundies or clarets, taste best at a temperature
of sixty to sixty-five degrees, but white, still wines, such
as Sauternes and Chablis, are best at fifty to fifty-five
degrees; sparkling wines from forty to forty-five de-
grees; and dessert whines at from sixty-five to seventy
degrees. Too often champagne is drunk ice-cold.
157
A BACHELOR'S CUPBOARD
What to Pay for Wines
Drinking is one thing and judging is another, and the
bouquet and other qualities of champagne are never
brought out so well at a very low temperature. Never
ice claret, or serve warm, white wines.
Proper decanting and serving of wines are the most
important functions of a host. It should be his pride
that every wine is served in the best possible condition.
Every bottle should be " candle bright " — which means
that a glass of wine held up against a candle in a dark
place should be perfectly brilliant.
In removing a cork from a bottle, use a " reverse
corkscrew " and extract the cork without the slightest
movement or shake to the bottle.
While drawing it off in the decanter, closely watch
the condition of the wine in the bottle, and stop pour-
ing as soon as the " cloud," or deposit, approaches the
neck. This rule applies to Burgundies, ports, and
clarets, which frequently show crusts or deposits in the
bottle.
Still hocks and m.oselles are generally served without
decanting. Colored glasses are used for these white
wines for the reason that the deposits they throw down
in each bottle are generally of such light specific gravity
that it is impossible to decant them bright — and colored
glasses hide these defects.
It is no longer considered in good taste to fill a
champagne glass to the brim. Leave about a quarter-
inch free. Refill a half-emptied glass so as not to lose
the sparkle, but never overdo the filling-up.
158
A BACHELOR'S CUPBOARD
What to Pay for Wines
Englishmen sometimes decant old vintage cham-
pagnes— but they retain very little effervescence.
A Londoner volunteers the information that " cham-
pagne w^hen first introduced into Great Britain was as
a substitute for brandy-and-soda; hence it v^as wanted
dry. In fact, the demands of the English palate may
be said to be responsible for the dry champagne."
" Champagne dinner —
All take warning;
Cow und Seltzer
In the morning."
MORE Syphon bottles are as difficult to handle as
WISE women. You never know when they're
Page 64
Presented as published in 1906. 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
(2) The clearness. (''The clearness of the bubbling wine reflected in her eye.")
(3) The bouquet. (Forget-me-nots, Babies' Breath, and Lady-Slippers.)
(4) The alcoholic strength. (It's strong enough to carry you home. )
(5) The body. {Gin a body meet a body, comin' thro' the Rye.)
(6) The quality of flavor. (The best wines taste of the Mint.)
(7) The harmony of the different constituents. |(Ask the United States Senate.)
(8) In sparkling wines j vivacity. (All does not glitter that sparkles.)
(9) The endurance of foam. (" When the foam is on the schooner, Molly dear.")
In France, men are frequently educated as wine tasters. In America, this profession is overcrowded. The technicality of taste must not be overlooked. The room should be of a temperature not over sixty degrees Fahrenheit, with plenty of diffused light. The temperature at which wines are tasted has a great deal to do with bringing out their best qualities. Red wines, as Burgundies or clarets, taste best at a temperature of sixty to sixty-five degrees, but white, still wines, such as Sauternes and Chablis, are best at fifty to fifty-five degrees; sparkling wines from forty to forty-five degrees; and dessert wines at from sixty-five to seventy degrees. Too often champagne is drunk ice-cold.
What to Pay for Wines
Drinking is one thing and judging is another, and the bouquet and other qualities of champagne are never brought out so well at a very low temperature. Never ice claret, or serve warm, white wines.
Proper decanting and serving of wines are the most important functions of a host. It should be his pride that every wine is served in the best possible condition. Every bottle should be " candle bright " — which means that a glass of wine held up against a candle in a dark place should be perfectly brilliant.
In removing a cork from a bottle, use a " reverse corkscrew " and extract the cork without the slightest movement or shake to the bottle.
While drawing it off in the decanter, closely watch the condition of the wine in the bottle, and stop pouring as soon as the " cloud," or deposit, approaches the neck. This rule applies to Burgundies, ports, and clarets, which frequently show crusts or deposits in the bottle.
Still hocks and m.oselles are generally served without decanting. Colored glasses are used for these white wines for the reason that the deposits they throw down in each bottle are generally of such light specific gravity that it is impossible to decant them bright — and colored glasses hide these defects.
It is no longer considered in good taste to fill a champagne glass to the brim. Leave about a quarterinch free. Refill a half-emptied glass so as not to lose the sparkle, but never overdo the filling-up.
What to Pay for Wines
Englishmen sometimes decant old vintage champagnes— but they retain very little effervescence.
A Londoner volunteers the information that " champagne w^hen first introduced into Great Britain was as a substitute for brandy-and-soda; hence it v^as wanted dry. In fact, the demands of the English palate may be said to be responsible for the dry champagne."
" Champagne dinner — All take warning; Cow und Seltzer In the morning."
MORE Syphon bottles are as difficult to handle as
WISE women. You never know when they're