neighbours. These persons would consume almost anything, as indeed a stoiy that went the round of the papers a short time back shows. Some colliers in the North, during the time when men were earning far more money than they knew how to spend, walked into a hotel, and asked for some port, on the ground, as they said among themselves, of that being the wine " the quality drank." The hotel-keeper, on his return after a short absence, found his daughter in the bar in the act of send- ing up a third bottle oif the top shelf, where port was generally kept, two previous bottles having been drank and paid for. The bottles, however, were port bottles, but contained mushroom ketchup; and we can only say with regard to the 15s. sherry, that it would have made an admirable " whitewash," as Sheridan's glass is still sometimes called, on the occasion in question. When sherry is consumed in any quantity, it will generally be found best to keep it in the wood. A quarter cask contains close upon fourteen dozen of wine, or twenty-eight gallons. Any respectable wine merchant will supply a good pale dry dimier-wine at j£15 for a quarter cask. I do not think you can depend upon a really good wine cheaper, and though a quarter cask of sherry can be bought for £10, I am confident that the wine at £15 is x-eally the cheapest in the ti-uest acceptation of the word. Ordinary wine of this description will be found best in the wood, nor indeed does it materially improve by being kept in bottles for years. I would here disabuse some of your minds from a too-common fallacy. Many persons imagine that because some fine old wine is good, that therefore all old wine is good. Old bottled wine, to be worth anything, must possess a certain quality before it is bottled, or it will not merely not improve, but absokitely deteriorate, and ultimately become bad. I would illustrate this point by beer. We all know that fine strong Burton ale — trade mark A 1 , as it is called — will keep for years, aiid improve in bottle. If, however, we bottle thin table-beer, the result is that even in one year's time it turns sour. So it is with wine — thin cheap port and sherry will not keep beyond a certain time. Good rich sherry, well selected, will keep for almost any length of time, and is always best kept in the wood. There is sherry to be got now in the wood over fifty years of age — of course the price is very high. Wlien this sort of wine is bottled, about six or eight years is necessary to give it a peculiar twang only obtained by bottling, much admired by connoisseurs. Good sherry of this description should be decanted some little time before it is wanted. One great advantage of drawing off ordinary sherry from the wood is that it is always bright. Sometimes in bottled sherry, especially of a rather superior class, it will be found that the last glass or half-glass is a little thick ; in decanting sherry, therefore, bear in mind to reserve this little drop and not make the whole decanter cloudy for its sake. When sherry is known to be like this it will be found best to put a bottle upright two or three days before it is Avanted ; then, if decanted carefully, and so that the light can be seen through the bottle, very little indeed need be wasted.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

neighbours. These persons would consume almost anything, as indeed a stoiy that went the round of the papers a short time back shows. Some colliers in the North, during the time when men were earning far more money than they knew how to spend, walked into a hotel, and asked for some port, on the ground, as they said among themselves, of that being the wine " the quality drunk." The hotel-keeper, on his return after a short absence, found his daughter in the bar in the act of sending up a third bottle of the top shelf, where port was generally kept, two previous bottles having been drank and paid for. The bottles, however, were port bottles, but contained mushroom ketchup; and we can only say with regard to the 15s. sherry, that it would have made an admirable " whitewash," as Sheridan's glass is still sometimes called, on the occasion in question. When sherry is consumed in any quantity, it will generally be found best to keep it in the wood. A quarter cask contains close upon fourteen dozen of wine, or twenty-eight gallons. Any respectable wine merchant will supply a good pale dry dinner-wine at j£15 for a quarter cask. I do not think you can depend upon a really good wine cheaper, and though a quarter cask of sherry can be bought for £10, I am confident that the wine at £15 is really the cheapest in the truest acceptation of the word. Ordinary wine of this description will be found best in the wood, nor indeed does it materially improve by being kept in bottles for years. I would here disabuse some of your minds from a too-common fallacy. Many persons imagine that because some fine old wine is good, that therefore all old wine is good. Old bottled wine, to be worth anything, must possess a certain quality before it is bottled, or it will not merely not improve, but absolutely deteriorate, and ultimately become bad. I would illustrate this point by beer. We all know that fine strong Burton ale — trade mark A 1 , as it is called — will keep for years, and improve in bottle. If, however, we bottle thin table-beer, the result is that even in one year's time it turns sour. So it is with wine — thin cheap port and sherry will not keep beyond a certain time. Good rich sherry, well selected, will keep for almost any length of time, and is always best kept in the wood. There is sherry to be got now in the wood over fifty years of age — of course the price is very high. When this sort of wine is bottled, about six or eight years is necessary to give it a peculiar twang only obtained by bottling, much admired by connoisseurs. Good sherry of this description should be decanted some little time before it is wanted. One great advantage of drawing off ordinary sherry from the wood is that it is always bright. Sometimes in bottled sherry, especially of a rather superior class, it will be found that the last glass or half-glass is a little thick ; in decanting sherry, therefore, bear in mind to reserve this little drop and not make the whole decanter cloudy for its sake. When sherry is known to be like this it will be found best to put a bottle upright two or three days before it is wanted ; then, if decanted carefully, and so that the light can be seen through the bottle, very little indeed need be wasted.

Cassell's dictionary of cookery