107 / 130
THE MIXICOLOGIST.
II9
This solera system is peculiar to Jerez. It means the
building up new wines on the foundation of old ones.
As the older wines are drawn offfor shipment—and but
a few gallons are drawn from each butt in the lowest
tier—these butts are replenished from the casks imme
diately above them, these in turn from the next tier,
and finally new wine of the same character is replen
ished to the top row. By this system it is possible for
the shipper to keep up a uniform excellence of his
wines, and to duplicate each shipment despite a succes
sion of bad vintages. There are other districts sur
rounding Jerez where good wines are grown. The pale,
delicate Manzanilla is grown around the little town of
San Lucas deBarrameda,about fifteen milesfrom Jerez,
and Puerto de Santa Maria yields somewhat inferior
wines to the neighboring districts mentioned.
The Medoc.—The vineyards of the Medoc, whence
come the most famous wines of the world, present many
wonderful facts. The grapes are curious in variety, as
also in their size and appearance,consequently also in
the quality of the wine produced.
An extraordinary fact it is that a narrow.lane some
times divides a vineyard so that on one side there will
be a first-class production, while its opposite neighbor
has hardly a name with the wine buyers. The same
mode of cultivation will not remedy this caprice of
nature. Sometimesa trifling slope ofthe ground,vary
ing a little the exposure of the plant, will cause a per
ceptible difference in the flavor of the fruit. The vines
themselves are never suffered to grow more than three