1876 Facts About Sherry by Henry Vizetelly

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Facts about Sherry.

removed the bung from the butt,takes a wine-glass in bis left band andtbe venencia in bis rigbt,holding tbelatter with bisfore finger and tbumb some few incbes from tbe handle. He then lowerstbeendto wbieb tbe silver receptacleisattached gently into tbe butt untilit comes in contact withtbe wine,whenbethrusts it suddenly down,and as soon as it is filled raises it again through tbe open bung-bole. Hext,by means of a rapid movement of tbe tbumb and forefinger by which tbe venencia is grasped,and a pecubar downward turn of tbe wrist of tbe same band,be succeeds in deftly depositing tbe wine in a long trickling stream into tbe glass which be holds in front of. him. Tbe operation being commonlyperformed with much facibty seems remarkably easy to accomplish, still tbe novice soon discovers that tbe requisite sleigbt-of-band is only to be acquired after consider able practice. Tbe estabbsbment of Messrs. Cosens and Co.,in addition to their three large bodegas containing some 4,500 butts of wine, or less than half tbe firm's entire stock, comprises several secondary cellars wherein different types of wines are stored, as web as various bodegas in other parts of Jerez and at Puerto de Santa Maria, whence,by way of supplement to their vast Jerez trade,tbe firm ship between 1,200 and 1,300 butts of sherry annually. Here, too, is their cooperage—and here, as web as at Jerez,is tbe steaming apparatus for seasoning casks, by means of which no fewer than 125 butts are steamed at one time. "Wbbe exposed to its action tbe beads of tbe casks often bulge outwards, and require to be forced into position again by a special apparatus. This steaming, which goes on for as long as eighteen hours, combined with a thorough seasoning of tbe casks with water, renders any further seasoning with wine unnecessary. Every vacant space in tbe neighbourhood of tbe Jerez bodegasof tbe firm,including tbe long narrow avenues which separate onebodega from another,is crowded with pibes of these seasoned casks,tbe total number of which must be many thousands. One very noticeablefeature isthat the difierentstages of preparation through which ab these casks have passed,accord-