17 / 244
Rhenish
JFiucs.
17
wine
is
grown
at
Asmannshausen,
a
village
about
two
miles
N.W.
of
Riideslieim,
but
the
quantity
produced
is
small.
This
wine
was
famed
as
far
back
as
1108.
The
durability
of
the
wines
of
the
Rhine
is
remarkable.
It
is
this
excellent
quality
most
probably
that
originated
the
singular
I
custom
of storing the
Rhine
wines
in
vessels
of
enormous
magnitude,
such
as
the
great
tun
of
Heidelberg
(built
in
1751),
which
was
30
feet
in
length
and
20
in
depth
;
and
that
of
the
Gruningen
I
tun,
30
feet
long
by
1
8
in
diameter
;
also
the
tun
of
Tubingen,
24
feet
long
by
1
6
in
diameter,
and
:i
many
others
of
sizes
closely
approaching
those
1
named,
it
being
a
great point
of
rivalry
amongst
I
the
wine
proprietors
to
produce
these
huge
vessels,
I
which
were
always
kept
full,
either
by
replacing
I
each
quantity
drawn
with
the
like
quantity
of
I
wine
of
a
similar
strength,
or
by
adding
washed
pebbles
to
fill
up
the
void.
The
peculiar
qualities
of
these
wines
appear
to
form
an
exception
to
the
prevalent
chemical
theories
;
their
sharpness
of
flavour
occasions
a
suspicion
of
acidity,
yet
they
are
highly
agreeable,
abounding
in delicate
aroma,
and
are
also
dry
and
sound,
while they
contain
very
little
alcohol.
“
In
a
word,”
as
Dr.
Henderson
re-
marks,
“
the
wines
of
the
Rhine
may
be
regarded
c