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neat

and

regular

as

it

is

possible

to

make

them.

Careless-

ness

in

binning

will,

of

course,

lead

to

much

breakage.

Ex-

amine

each

bottle

to

see

that

it

is

properly

corked

and

that

there

is

no

leakage

before

binning

away,

although,

perhaps,

an

infinitesimal

leakage

may

not

be

detrimental,

but

perhaps,

the

reverse.

The

bottles

should

not

be

laid

down

in

the

bin

unless

in

good

condition,

and

if

not

clear

must

be

stood

up

for

twenty-four

hours

until

the

deposit

has

been

precipitated,

to

prevent

it

settling

in

the

neck

of

the

bottle

and

coming

into

the

decanter

when

decanted.

Stout

young

wines

of

good

quality

obtain

a

maturity

and

generous

flavor

by

being

binned

in

places

of

moderate

warmth,

provided,

of

course,

that

they

are

not

kept

there

too

long,

but

champagnes,

Rhine

wines

and

Moselles

should

be

kept

in

a

cool

place.

Decanting

Before

filling

the

decanters

they

should

be,

of

course,

thor-

oughly

clean

inside

and

out,

and

the

mouth

of

the

wine

bottle

very

carefully

wiped

to

remove

all

the

exudation

which

will

be

found

adhering

to

it;

this

should

ensure

the

wine

being-

served

in

perfect

condition,

for

even

the

slightest

cloudiness

destroys

that

delicacy

of flavor

which

is

its

chief

charm.

To

extract

the

cork

without

shaking

the

wine,

the

bottle

must

be

taken

carefully

by

the

neck

with

a

steady

hand

and

the

corkscrew

inserted

in

the

exact

centre

of

the

cork

with

the

bottle

lying

in

a

horizontal

position.

Use

no

strainer,

but

place

a

candle

in

such

a

position

that

its

light

will

shine

through

the

wine

as

it

passes

between

the

bottle

and

the

decanter.

As

soon

as

any

sediment

ap-

pears,

the

operation

must

be

stopped

at

once

so

that

none

of

it

will

get

into

the

decanter.

No

wine

should

be

served

at

table

that

is

defective

or

"corky"

(a

term

to indicate

wine

that

has

been

tainted

by

the

sap

of

the

cork

wood),

which

is

easily

detected

by

the

smell.

All

wines

throw

a

deposit,

rich

wines

more

than

others.

The

crust

of

Port

wine

of

only

one

or

two

years'

formation

is

naturally

not

so

firm

as

that

which

has

been

kept

for

a

longer

period.

Dry

wines

take

longer

to

mature

than

rich.

Port

wine

should

be

decanted

at

the

bin

in

the

cellar,

from

half

an

hour

to

two

hours

before

wanted,

the

decanter

being

placed

in

the

Dining

Room

after

it

is

filled,

and

served

at

the

temperature

of

the

room.

WHEN

AND

HOW

TO

SERVE

BEVERAGES

Appetizer.

Dry

Pale

Sherry,

plain

or

with

a

dash

of

bitters.

Vermouth

plain

or

Cocktails.

With

Oysters.

Rhine

Wine,

Moselle,

Dry

Sauternes,

Chablis

or

Capri.

Cool.

With

Soup.

Sherry,

Madeira

or

Marsala.

Cool.

With

Fish.

Sauternes,

Chablis,

Rhine

Wine,

Moselle

or

Capri,

Brolio

White.

Corvo.

30