The European cookbook for American homes (from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France)

The story of Est, Est, Est has been told many times, though probably never before in a cook book. A German prelate, Bishop Fuger, liked this white wine so well that he drowned himself in it, by consuming flagon after flagon. It seems that this bibulous clergyman, before undertaking a trip from his Prussian parish to pay his respects to the Pope at Rome, sent a courier ahead to spot Italian taverns where he could be sure of getting the best wine. The advance agent was to chalk the word "Est," it is, or this is it, on the door of the inns that would best suit the Bishop, but when he came to a little village between Florence and Rome he found such a surpassing tipple that he wrote Est! Est! Est! Here it is! This is it! Oh, Bishop! So when the Reverend Fuger got there and found the nectar simply great, he just relaxed and polished off so much Est! Est! Est! that he died before reaching Rome, and his tomb-stone is still in the vicinity to prove it. Another remarkable white wine is that of Orvieto, which also comes in red and is sold at every railroad station in distinctive squat bottles. Trebbiano is a golden juice made, as is the remarkable Chateau d'Yquem of France, from grapes gone too far raisinward perhaps to be eaten, yet all the more luscious when fermented. Other regional aristocrats come from the old ducal estates of Artimino and of Carmignano. There are as well distinctive wines of Nipozzano and Altomena. This finishes off the Tuscany types worthy of being bottled for sale, but there are countless others unclassified, mere vino del paese or table wines, on draught in all wine shops. In the foothills of the Alps, Piedmont provides sparkling Asti, the Italian champagne, Bosca, and Chaumont. Turin turns out a good many pipes of wine both white and red, but they're not so hot. Yet the Grignolinos, Freisas, Barberas, Nebiolos and Barolos, both still and spumanti (sparkling) uphold the whole Province. There are the white wines, as well; Gavi, Cortese and Castel Tagliolo, which precede the entree at table and go well with antipasto and fish. Such a paralyzing variety of sound wines that the best we can do without writing a whole book on the subject is to list a few noted vintages under their chief centers of consumption: Rome: Frascati (white, served with the entree), Marino, Genzano and the muscatels of Albano and Montefiascone. Naples : Falerno, Vesuvio, Gragnano and the strong Lacrima Christi, "tears of Christ," celebrated for centuries, so the genuine is hard to get. Lacrima Christi is grown on Mount Vesuvius and goes up to 18% in alcoholic content, but its regional neighbors, Gallipoli and Taranto, go even higher, up to 25%. Naples gets credit, too, for the straw-colored and strawberry-hued island wines of Capri. Venice: reds: Valpolicella, Bardolino and Cabernet Pinot; whites, The Soave of Verona and Terralba of Padua. Since the war the fine Bolzano and Merano wines of Austria have been added to the wine-producing territory dominated by Venice. Lombardy: this Province produces reds exclusively and they are generally astringent and of little value: Inferno, Broni and Grumello are among the best. Sardinia: The Malvasia dessert wines of Garnaccia, Monai and Caunona are golden and delicate. Rosso del Campidano is the best red wine produced on the island.