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THE FLOWING BOWL
cent less than in 1873, which was the "record"
sherry year. And although many efforts have
been made to stem the ebb, the last seven
years have shewn a steady decrease in the
exports.
Yet, according to the best authorities, sherry
is not only the purest, but the most wholesome of
all wines. Of course, in making this statement
the wine of Spain, the vino de Jerez is implied,
and not the home-made productions for the male-
fit of those who study economy without due
regard to digestion.
Strictly speaking, sherry
meansJerez (pronounced " herreth ") wine. But
Manzanilla, a wine which is made at St. Lucas,
and Montilla which comes from a town south of
Cordova, may come under the same category.
And with a view of shewing the wholesomeness
of sherry it is stated, by no less an authority than
the Lancet^ that it is the only wine enjoined in
the preparations of the wines of the British
Pharmacopoeia, with two exceptions—viz. vinum
ferri citratis, and vinum qumhiae^ which are made
with orange wine. Therefore it is certain that
the sufferer from gout, for whom vinum colchici
is prescribed, may swallow a proportion of the
juice of the grape, and, possibly, a hair of the
dog which bit him. This naturally recalls the
old story of the sherry which was sent to a former
Lord Chesterfield as a panacea for his ailment,
and the curt reply sent: " Sir, I have tried your
sherry, and prefer the gout."
There are several types of sherries, according
to the different characters developed. These are
known by several distinguishing terms compre-