On the suljject of hock and Moselle little need be said. Good hock is always
bottled in the district in which the wine is made. A fairly sound hock can bo
obtained now at 24s. a dozen. Hocks, like Burgundy and claret, vary immensely
in price, good Cabinet Johanisburg fetching at times as fabulous a price as famous
vintages of Lafitte claret. Moselle resembles hock somewhat, only it has a slight
Muscatel flavour : as a rule. Moselle is slightly dearer than hock — that is, in the
cheaper sorts. In selecting both hock and Moselle the three chief points to be l)orne
in mind are — freedom from acidity, brightness, and bouquet. Cheap hock and cheap
Moselle are both apt to be somewhat cloudy, and as an almost universal rule with
regard to wine it may be laid down that cloudy wine is always of inferior
flavour.
We next come to what many regard as the highest of all wines, i.e., Champagne.
Cei*tainly in this coiintry at any rate Champagne is regarded by many as the very
height of luxury. There are many who look upon Champagne as a wine only to be
used on great occasions, such as wedding breakfasts or the birthday of the heir, &:c.
Of late years, however. Champagne has been drank far more generally than it was
Ixxxviii cassell's dictionary of cookery.
a few years ago ; indeed, iii everything we see advances nowadays in tke direction
of luxury and extravagance.
At what exact price good Champagne can be bought it is veiy difficult to say.
The cheaper kinds vary unmensely, some years being far better than others. Of the
cheaper kinds, however, we shall have more to say when we come to consider the
substitutes for first-class wines. I would, however, roughly state the minimum
j)rice at which any Champagne that is the pure juice of the grape can be bought to
be from 42s. to 48s. a dozen. A large quantity of wine is sold in this country
under the ]iame of Champagne, much of which indeed comes from the Champagne
district that really is Chainj^agne only in name.
Whether this is made by using up the refuse of the grapes from which good
Champagne is made, or using imripe grapes, rhubarb, gooseberries, or apples, I cannot
say positively, but that the majority of cheap Champagne is unfit to drink at all there
can be no shadow of a doubt. Considering the price any one has to pay for a bottle of
Champagne at Epernay itself, it seems on the face of it absurd for persons to adver-
tise Champagne in this country at 26s. a dozen. Were you, say in Paris or Berlin,
to be offered a quart bottle of Bass's bitter ale for 4d., you would natui-ally feel that
there was something wrong somewhere.
Page 107
Presented as published in 1892. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
On the subject of hock and Moselle little need be said. Good hock is always bottled in the district in which the wine is made. A fairly sound hock can be obtained now at 24s. a dozen. Hocks, like Burgundy and claret, vary immensely in price, good Cabinet Johanisburg fetching at times as fabulous a price as famous vintages of Lafitte claret. Moselle resembles hock somewhat, only it has a slight Muscatel flavour : as a rule. Moselle is slightly dearer than hock — that is, in the cheaper sorts. In selecting both hock and Moselle the three chief points to be borne in mind are — freedom from acidity, brightness, and bouquet. Cheap hock and cheap Moselle are both apt to be somewhat cloudy, and as an almost universal rule with regard to wine it may be laid down that cloudy wine is always of inferior flavour.
We next come to what many regard as the highest of all wines, i.e., Champagne. Certainly in this country at any rate Champagne is regarded by many as the very height of luxury. There are many who look upon Champagne as a wine only to be used on great occasions, such as wedding breakfasts or the birthday of the heir, &:c. Of late years, however. Champagne has been drank far more generally than it was
Ixxxviii cassell's dictionary of cookery.
a few years ago ; indeed, in everything we see advances nowadays in the direction of luxury and extravagance.
At what exact price good Champagne can be bought it is very difficult to say. The cheaper kinds vary immensely, some years being far better than others. Of the cheaper kinds, however, we shall have more to say when we come to consider the substitutes for first-class wines. I would, however, roughly state the minimum price at which any Champagne that is the pure juice of the grape can be bought to be from 42s. to 48s. a dozen. A large quantity of wine is sold in this country under the ]iame of Champagne, much of which indeed comes from the Champagne district that really is Champagne only in name.
Whether this is made by using up the refuse of the grapes from which good Champagne is made, or using unripe grapes, rhubarb, gooseberries, or apples, I cannot say positively, but that the majority of cheap Champagne is unfit to drink at all there can be no shadow of a doubt. Considering the price any one has to pay for a bottle of Champagne at Epernay itself, it seems on the face of it absurd for persons to advertise Champagne in this country at 26s. a dozen. Were you, say in Paris or Berlin, to be offered a quart bottle of Bass's bitter ale for 4d., you would naturally feel that there was something wrong somewhere.