48 / 96
Althuugh
the
vineyard
i)roprieturs,
almost
wilhout
excep-
tion,
were,
and
still
are,
Spaniards,
the
shipping
of
the
wines
was
entirely
in
the
hands
of
Englishmen
who
had
settled
in
Spain,
and
for
that
reason,
shipping
values
are
expressed
in
pounds
sterling;
but
conditions
are
changing,
and
the
vineyard
proprietors
are
gradually
becoming
shippers
of
their
own
wines.
Taking
the
Sherry
shippers
and
their
Capitaces
as
a
class,
ten
per
cent,
are
moderate
drinkers
or abstainers; ninety
per
cent,
are
good,
generous
drinkers;
the
death
rate
shows
ten
per
cent,
die
under
.seventy,
ninety
per
cent,
live
to
be
seventy
or
over,
and
of
the
latter,
fifteen
per
cent,
reach
the
ripe
old
age
(if
ninety
years.
From
this
one
can
understand
why
Sherry
is
named
in
Anchilucia
"la
leche
de
los
viejos"
—
the
milk
for
the
aged.
That
Shei'ry
is
becoming
more
popular
as a
beverage
here
in
the
United
States
can
be seen
by
the
increase
in
the
number
of
gallons
imported
each
year,
as
shown
l)y
I'nited
States
customs
statistics.
This
is
due,
in
a
great
measure,
to
the
fact
that
Amontillado
bottled
in
Si)ain
has
been
introduced
to
the
Ameri-
can
consumer
at
the
clubs,
at
the
hotel
bars,
and
at
the
cafes
in
its
native
purity.
A
glass
of
Amontillado,
with
or
without
bitters,
is
beginning
to
appeal
to
the
American
taste
as
an
ap-
petizer.
At
dinner
Amontillado
is
served
with
the
soup,
the
glasses
are
refilled
during
the
(ish
cour.se,
and
frequently
are
only
removed
when
the
roast
appears.
In
the
kitchen,
the
chef,
when
prei)aring
shellfish
or
terrapin,
would
be
at
a
lo.ss
without
Sherry.
In
fact,
for
the
educated
taste,
there
is
no
wine
like
Sherry,
and,
of
all
wines,
SheiTv
is
most
useful for
all
purpo.ses.