Masdeu

Is an excellent Roussillon wine; it is strong in body, deep in colour, and of rich soft taste.

Sherry-is either brown or pale.

Amontillado, a dry delicate sherry, is from Andalusia. It is excellent and is supposed to be the "sack " of Shakspeare.

All sherry is by nature of a pale colour, the darker shades are conferred by age, or by vino de color, or by boiled wine. This is made by taking some of the must before fermentation begins and boiling it down to a sixth of the quantity, keeping it constantly stirred and skimmed from all impurities. When the liquor is quite thick the fire underneath it is withdrawn gradually and it is let get cool. This boiled wine is mixed in the proportion of a quarter or less quantity with the pale sherry, and thus makes it of different kinds of brown shades, consequently brown sherry is sweeter than the dry wines.

The pale sherry is the pure wine, to which is added two bottles of brandy to the butt.

Manzanilla

Is a delicate pure wine of a fine straw colour. The name is the Spanish for chamomile, and the flavour of the wine probably suggested the name, as there is a chamomile taste in Manzanilla. "This wine," says Mr. Redding, "is the driest of all the Spanish wines, scarcely any wine what ever surpassing its delicacy and purity. It admits of no mixture of any kind, not even the smallest quantity of brandy, without deterioration in taste and flavour. When carefully made it becomes a perfect wine, and improves with age beyond all other kinds both in flavour and firmness, so as to surpass almost every dry wine." Sherries are not to be judged by colour but by taste. They are subject to adulteration and cannot be bought pure and good under a good price. Pure sherry being totally without acidity is considered the most wholesome of wines. A good age is required to mellow the Spanish wines.

For those who are unable to afford good sherry, Marsala is an excellent substitute, and is generally very pure. It resembles Madeira of the second class. "A voyage to India and home renders this wine, when of the best quality, a most excellent dinner wine, equal to Madeira."*

Now as the advantages to Madeira of an Eastern voyage are motion and heat, why could not both be contrived for the Marsala without the voyage, by giving it motion by some mechanical means, in a place where the temperature is kept high? Marsala is the strongest of wines; it has 25.09 per cent. of alcohol.

Madeira

Though this wine is no longer as fashionable as it once was, it is still considered a very choice and excellent wine. It requires age, and is better for an East Indian voyage. Its flavour and aroma perfect themselves by years, and it stands all climates.

Madeira should never be bought cheaply, as it cannot be sold at a low price if genuine, and there are many imitations of it from the rejected wines of the south of the island. "Of all the strong wines," says Mr. Henderson, "those of Madeira, when of good quality, seem best adapted to invalids; being equally spirituous as sherry, but possessing a more delicate flavour and aroma, and though often slightly acidulous, agreeing better with dyspeptic habits." Madeira is next to port in amount of alcohol.

Malmsey Madeira is a first-class wine of great excellence. It has not so much alcohol as Madeira, only about 16.40 per cent.