Memoranda on Tours and Touraine Part 9

CLa.s.sIFICATION OF FRENCH WINES.

WINES OF THE FIRST CLa.s.s.

-------------------------+-------------+----------------------------- WINES. PLACE. CHARACTER.

-------------------------+-------------+----------------------------- Romanee Conti Cote-d'Or. } The first and most delicate Chamberlin Ditto. } red wines in the Richebourg Ditto. } world, full of rich perfume, Clos Vougeot Ditto. } of exquisite bouquet Romanee St.-Vivant Ditto. } and fine purple colour, La Tache Ditto. } light, yet with body St.-Georges Ditto. } and spirit sufficient to Corton Ditto. } render them pleasant and } healthful in use.

First growths of Premaux Ditto. } Musigny Ditto. } Burgundies, closely Clos du Tart. Ditto. } resembling the above Saint-Jean Ditto. } growths in aroma, and Perriere Ditto. } in all their other qualities.

Veroilles Ditto. } Morgeot Ditto. } Mont Rachet Ditto. } White, high perfume } and nutty flavor.

Lafitte Gironde. } Fine colour and delicate Latour Ditto. } flavour, light, less Chateau Margaux Ditto. } warm than Burgundy, Haut Brion Ditto. } with a violet perfume, } and rich purple hue.

Beaume La Drome. } Wines of the Rhone, Muret Ditto. } darker in colour than the Bessas, Burges, Landes Ditto. } preceding. Red Hermitage Meal and Grefieux Ditto. } the most noted of these Racoule, Guioniere Ditto. } of good body, and a fine } flavour of the rasberry.

Sillery Marne. } White, still, dry; of an } amber colour; generally } iced for drinking.

Ay. Marne. } Fine effervescing wine, } bright in colour, slightly } frothing.

Mareuil Ditto. } The best of the white Hautvilliers Ditto. } wines of Champagne, Pierry Ditto. } being all of the first Dizy Ditto. } quality, but differing a Epernay Closet Ditto. } little in colour and } effervescence.

Saint-Bris Gironde. } Fine white wines of Carbonnieux Ditto. } excellent quality, lightish Pontac Ditto. } brown in colour, aroma Sauterne Ditto. } most agreeable, and Barsac Ditto. } some of rather sweet taste.

Preignac and Beaumes Ditto. } Description resembles Chateau Grillet La Loire. } the preceding.

} } Full of body, spirit, Hermitage }Rhone. } and perfume. The finest } } of all white wines.

Rivesaltes }Pyrenees } A rich muscadine.

}orientales. } Colmar, Olwiller }Haut-Rhin. } Straw wines, rich and Kaiserberg } } luscious.

Kientzheim, Ammerschwin Ditto. Ditto.

Hermitage de Paille Rhone. Ditto.

The dry wines of the first cla.s.s will bear no mixture, except with their own growths; are too delicate to be adulterated without instant detection; are the pure offspring of the grape, and rank nearest to perfection of any known wines, of ancient or modern times.

WINES OF THE SECOND CLa.s.s.

-------------------------+-----------------+--------------------------- WINES. PLACE. CHARACTER.

-------------------------+-----------------+--------------------------- Verzy, Verzenay, Mailly, } } St.-Basle, Bouzy, } Marne. } Red wines of Champagne.

St.-Thierry } } Vosne, Nuits, Chambolle, } } Excellent red Burgundies, Volnay, Pomard, } Cote-d'Or. } very little inferior Beaune, Morey, Savigny, } } to first growths.

Meursalt } } Olivotes, Pitoy, Perriere Yonne } Preaux, Chainette, } Good wines.

Migrenne Ditto. } Moulin a Vent, Torins, } Saone-et-Loire } Red.

Thenas } Rhone. } Hermitage, 2.d growths. Rhone. Red.

Cote Rotie Ditto. Red.

Rozan, Gorze, Leoville, } } Larose, Branne-Mouton, } Gironde. } Red.

Pichon-Longueville, } } Calon } } Coteau Brule Vaucluse. Red.

Jurancon, Gan Ba.s.ses-Pyrenees. Red.

Rousillon, Bagnols, } Pyrenees } Red.

Cosperon, Collioure, } orientales. } Toremila, Terrats } } Cramant, Avize, Oger, } Marne. } White champagne wines, Menil } } of good quality.

La Perriere, Combotte, } } White Burgundies, of Goutte d'Or, Genevriere, } Cote-d'Or. } high repute in France.

Charmes et Meursalt } } Guebwillers, Turkeim, } } Wolxheim, Molsheim, } Haut-Rhin. } Dry, white, and _vins de and Rangen, in Belfont } Bas-Rhin. } paille_, of good repute.

Arbois, Pupillin, } Jura. } Good wine, _mousseux_ Chateau Chalons } } and still.

} A white wine, which keeps Coudrieu Rhone. } long, of fine _seve_ } and perfume.

Langon, Cerons, } Gironde. } White wines capable of Podensac. } } endurance.

Montbazillac, Teaulet, } Dordogne. } Good white wines of Raulis, Suma, Sance. } } the country.

Buzet, Amazon, Vianne. } Lot-et-Garonne. } Generous white wines, } } of good body.

} Delicate _mousseux_ and St.-Peray, St.-Jean Ardeche. } _non mousseux_, of } agreeable flavour.

Jurancon } Ba.s.ses-Pyrenees.} White, with an agreeable } } perfume of the truffle.

Frontignan, and Lunel } Herault. } Sweet, rich, and luscious; Mazet } } white.

Bagnols, Collioure, } Pyrenees } Red, styled de _Grenache_, Rodez } Orientales. } rich and sweet.

Maccabeo of Salces Ditto. Sweet, _vins de liqueur_.

WINES OF THE THIRD CLa.s.s.

-------------------------+-----------------+---------------------------- WINES. PLACE. CHARACTER.

-------------------------+-----------------+---------------------------- Hautvilliers, Mareuil, } } Dizy, Pierry, Epernay, } } Red Champagne wines Taisy, Ludes, Chigny, } Marne. } of the second quality; Villers-Allerand, } } light and agreeable.

c.u.mieres } } Ricey, Avirey, Bagneux } Aube. } Resembling the preceding.

la Fosse } } Gevrey, Cha.s.sagne, } } Aloxe, Savigny sous } Cote-d'Or. } Good Burgundies of the Beaune, Blagny, Santenay,} } third quality.

Chenove } } Clarion, Bonvin Yonne. Ditto.

Fleury, Romaneche, } Saone-et-Loire } Ditto.

Chapelle, Guinchay } } Chantergues, Montjuset. Puy-de-Dome. Not wines of note; red.

} } Resembling red Hermitage, } } a little less full Crozes, Mercurol, } Drome. } and fine, might be called Gervant } } Hermitage of the third } } quality.

Seyssuel, Revantin Isere. } Red wines, very middling } of the cla.s.s.

Verinay Rhone. Resembling Cote Rotie.

Pouillac, Margaux, } } Pouillac, Saint-Estephe, Pessac, St.-Estephe, } } good light red wines; St.-Julien, Castelnau de } Gironde. } Castelnau mediocre; the Medoc, Cantenac, Talence,} } other growths agreeable.

Merignac, Canon } } Farcies, Terra.s.se, } Dordogne. } Resembling St-Emilion; Campreal } } keeping well.

Cape Breton, Soustons } Landes. } Red; light coloured, } } with a harsh taste.

Chuzelan, Travel, } } Red wines grown on St.-Genies, Virac, } Gard. } the banks of the Rhone; Ledenon, } } will not keep good more St.-Laurent-des-Arbres } } than six years.

Chateauneuf } Vaucluse. } Good red wines; keep } } well.

Riceys } Aube. } Champagne, light and } } agreeable, white.

Rougeot de Meursalt } Cote-d'Or. } Tolerable wine; not } } exported.

Vaumorillon, Grises, } } In considerable esteem Valmure, Grenouille, } } in Paris as wines of the Vaudesir, Bourgereau, } Yonne. } table.

Mont de Milieu et } } Chablis } } They are all white.

Pouilly and Fuisse } Saone-et-Loire } Much the same as the } } preceding.

Etoile Quintignil Jura. White.

Pujols, Ilats, Landiras, } } Virelade, St.-Croix du } Gironde. } Ditto, of middling quality.

Mont, Loupiac } } St.-Michel sous Condrieu } Loire. } Ditto; consumed in the } } country.

} Second growths of those Frontignan and Lunel Herault. } famous and rich white } wines.

Vins de Picardan of } } Rich luscious sweet Ma.r.s.eillan and Pommerols.} } wines, prepared in the Vins de Calabria, de } Herault. } department of Herault; Malaga } } and very little exported, } } also muscadines.

Roquevaire, Ca.s.sis, } } Rich sweet wines, boiled Ciotat }Bouches-du-Rhone.} wines, and malmseys, Vins Cuits } } of good quality.

The above are the three first cla.s.ses of French wines, including all which are commonly exported; there are, according to the best authorities, six cla.s.ses of red, seven of white, and four of _vins de liqueur_. In these (exclusive of the list above comprising the choicest kinds), there are two hundred and forty-three white, nine _vins de liqueur_, and four hundred and sixty-three red wines cla.s.sed, commencing with the fourth. The wines of Champagne descend six degrees in cla.s.s and quality, hence the importance of ascertaining the proper cla.s.s by those who purchase them.

_Alcoholic strength of Wines and Liquors; according to the a.n.a.lysis of professor Brande_.

PURE ALCOHOL PER CENT.

Burgundy, average of } 14.57 four samples } Ditto, lowest of the four 11.95 Ditto, highest of ditto 16.60 Champagne, four samples; } 12.61 average } Ditto, still 13.80 Ditto, mousseux 12.80 Cote Rotie 12.32 Frontignan 12.79 Red Hermitage 12.32 Sauterne 14.22 Lunel 15.52 White Hermitage 17.43 Vin de Grave 13.94 Ditto, second sample 12.80 Barsac 13.86 Rousillon 19.00 Ditto, second sample 17.26 Claret[E] 17.11 Ditto 16.32 Ditto 14.08 Ditto 12.91 Average 15.10 Grenache 21.24 Malaga, 1666 18.94 Ditto 17.26 Sherry; average of four } 19.17 kinds } Teneriffe 19.79 Vidonia 19.25 Alba Flora 17.26 Tent 13.20 Hockheimer 14.37 Hock 13.00 Ditto, old 8.88 Colares Port 19.75 Port; average of seven } 22.96 specimens } Lisbon 18.94 Carcavellos 19.20 Ditto 18.10 Bucellas 18.49 Madeira Malmsey 16.40 Madeira Malmsey, red 22.30 Ditto 18.40 Madeira 24.42 Ditto 23.93 Sercial 21.40 Ditto 19.41 Average 22.27 Marsala; average of two } 25.09 specimens } Lacryma Christi 19.70 Lissa 26.47 Ditto 24.35 Syracuse 15.28 Etna 30.00 Aleatico 16.20 Constantia, white 19.75 Ditto, red 18.92 Cape muscat 18.25 Ditto Madeira 22.94 Average of three samples 20.51 Shiraz, white 19.80 Ditto, red 15.52 Tokay 9.88 Nice 14.63 Raisin wine 26.40 Average of three specimens 25.12 Currant Wine 20.55 Gooseberry 11.84 Orange; average of six } 11.26 samples } Elder wine 9.87 Scotch Whiskey 54.32 Irish ditto 53.90 Rum 53.68 Brandy 53.39 Gin 51.60 Cider, 9.87 and 5.21 } 7.84 average } Perry; four samples 7.26 Mead 7.32 Burton Ale 8.88 Edinburgh 6.20 Dorchester 5.56 London Porter 4.20 Brown Stout 6.80 London small Beer 1.28