58 / 96
The
quality,
as
well
as
quantity,
of
wine
differs
to
a
great
extent,
due
to
meteorological
ellects
and
to
herbivorous
vermin
which
tend
to
destroy
the
fruit
of
man's
labor.
The
last
century
gave
us
some
very
fine
vintages,
amongst
which
the
years
1811, 1834,
1865
and
189:^
were
excellent
in
quality
and
quantity.
The
last
five
or
six
years
have
yielded
hardly
any
crop
at
all,
and
were
almo.st
a
total
failure.
Rich
old
wines
were
nur.sed
with
great
skill
in
the
(lerman
cities
by
the
employees
of
the
city
council
and
were
dispensed
in
the
council
cellar
in
olden
times.
Yea,
wine
had
the
(luality
of
being
used
as
currency,
and
fines
on
miscreants
were
impo.sed
in
such
a
way
that
the
culprit
had
to
pay
one
or
more
ohms
of
wine
of
a
certain
vintage.
To-day
almost
every
German
city
has
a
Rathskeller
(coun-
cil
cellar)
situated
in
the
basement
of
the
city
hall,
and
there
the
wine,
in
goblets
of
crystal,
causes
often
the
partakers
of
a
feast
to
sing
with
Mathias
Claudius:
"Drink
to
the
Rhine
I
And
every
coming
morrow
Be
mirth
and
music
thine!
And
when
we
meet
a
child
of
care
and
sorrow.
We'll
send
him
to
the
Rhine."