1876 Facts About Sherry by Henry Vizetelly

Wi'nes of the Seville and Mogiier Districts.

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X.—Wines of the Seville and Mogheb Disteicts.

Seville andthe Gipsy Snbnrh ofTriana—Vineyards on the High Lands near the Guadalquivir — The House where Cortes died—The "Wine-producing districts of Gines, ViUanueva, Espartina, and Salteras—System of Vini- fieation—Price of Grapes and Mosto—The Vineyards of San Lucar la Mayor and Manzanilla—The fresh-tasting Ambrosial Wine of the latter— The Condado de Niebla and its[Low-Class Wines—The Vintage in the Moguer district — The Wines shipped as Sherry—Moguer the Port Columbus sailed from. Pew sherry-cLriiikers are aware that the shippers of this popiilar wine derive a certain portion of their supply from districts not merely scores hut even hundi-eds of miles away from the true sheny region, which in reality only extends from twelve to sixteen miles around Jerez. In the first place, the whole of that tract of undulating country which stretches from Seville—noted rather for its olives and its oranges than its wines—to Huelva on the extreme south-west coast of Spain, has numerous vineyards interspersed among its miles upon miles of olive groves,and produces wines of variable although rarely high quality,most of which are exported,blended with Jerez gi-owths, as sherry. To reach this viticultural region we proceeded along the valley ofthe G-uadalquivir as far as Seville, the most fasci nating of Andalusian cities; the ancient Phoenician settlement of whose conquest in after times Csesar was so proud; the early capital of the Grothic Idngs; the city which still bears such striking traces of Roman, Moorish, and mediasval splendour; the port whence Oortcs and Pizarro sailed to the conquest of Mexico and Peru; and the birthplace of the two greatest painters that Spain has produced—Bartolome Esteban Murdlo and Velasquez de Silva. The nearest vineyards are all on the high lands on the opposite side of the G-uadalquivfr to that on which Seville stands, and a few miles beyond the gipsy suburb of Triana, where John Phihp had his studio and found the subjects for so