Ixxviii cassell's dictionary of cookery. few glasses of port after, and generally took beer with dinner as well. Claret was considered a somewhat expensive luxury, and when introduced was generally brought on only at dessert for the purpose of finishing up with, being often drunk after port. Now, however, it is a most common custom to drink claret with dinner instead of beer. Of course the reason is that claret, and good claret too, can be now obtained in this country at a very cheaji rate. Indeed, a most excellent sound claret can be bought for 16s. a dozen — only go to a respectable -wine merchant, and always taste the wine before you buy it. We will now endeavour to examine into the general principles to be observed in the service of wine. For instance, we know that it is customary to take a glass of Chablis with oysters, a glass of Madeira after turtle soup, a glass of dry sherry with fish, (fee, but why we do so is by no means so evident. Nature seems to tell us that port wine would be unsuitable with fish, nor do we think any one would care to sip hock, however good, with walnuts. However, we learn by experience that there are certain flavours that combuie together, and apparently suit, and others that do not. For instance, Chablis after oysters. Oysters have a strong flavour, and a light thin wine like Chablis cleanses the palate after eating them, and somehow the oyster seems to make tlie wine taste better. On the other hand, try a glassful of champagne after eating oysters, and you will find that you cannot detect the flavour of the champagne at all. Again, turtle i.s a rich, glutinous soup, and after a very rich dish some wine is required to cleanse the palate of a more generous nature than Chablis or hock: consequently, Madeira, or good East India sherry, or rum punch, is taken. After a light entree, such as a Vol-au-vent k la Financiere, or boiled fish of any kind, or whitebait, hock or pale sherry would be most appropriate. After a rich and glutinous fish like stewed eels, or after any entree with strong rich brown gravy, the palate requires something rather more stimulating, and, in my opinion, no wine in the world is equal to Burgundy to drink with dinner, either with water or with- out. Still, claret, though not so stimulating, is an admirable wine to drink after rich dishes. I think it will be foimd that the general principle, that the richer the dish the more stimulatmg must be the wine, holds true for nearly all kinds of food. For instance, roast pork is a rich dish, and it is one of the few kinds of food that persons drink port wine after. Roast goose is another rich dish, and it is customary after eating roast goose to have a small liquor glass of brandy. I have a little further on quoted Francatelli's opinion with regard to the service of wine, and it will be seen that he particularly calls attention to the absurd custom of serving sweet champagne early in dinner. As a rule, however, champagne is generally dry in this country. The Duke de Montebello's sec, Pommery and Greno's extra sec, and Heidseck's Monopole, are all admirable dry wines, and we think the former, though not equal in repute to the two latter, is quite their equal, both in quality and flavour.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Ixxviii cassell's dictionary of cookery. few glasses of port after, and generally took beer with dinner as well. Claret was considered a somewhat expensive luxury, and when introduced was generally brought on only at dessert for the purpose of finishing up with, being often drunk after port. Now, however, it is a most common custom to drink claret with dinner instead of beer. Of course the reason is that claret, and good claret too, can be now obtained in this country at a very cheap rate. Indeed, a most excellent sound claret can be bought for 16s. a dozen — only go to a respectable -wine merchant, and always taste the wine before you buy it. We will now endeavour to examine into the general principles to be observed in the service of wine. For instance, we know that it is customary to take a glass of Chablis with oysters, a glass of Madeira after turtle soup, a glass of dry sherry with fish, (fee, but why we do so is by no means so evident. Nature seems to tell us that port wine would be unsuitable with fish, nor do we think any one would care to sip hock, however good, with walnuts. However, we learn by experience that there are certain flavours that combuie together, and apparently suit, and others that do not. For instance, Chablis after oysters. Oysters have a strong flavour, and a light thin wine like Chablis cleanses the palate after eating them, and somehow the oyster seems to make tlie wine taste better. On the other hand, try a glassful of champagne after eating oysters, and you will find that you cannot detect the flavour of the champagne at all. Again, turtle i.s a rich, glutinous soup, and after a very rich dish some wine is required to cleanse the palate of a more generous nature than Chablis or hock: consequently, Madeira, or good East India sherry, or rum punch, is taken. After a light entree, such as a Vol-au-vent k la Financiere, or boiled fish of any kind, or whitebait, hock or pale sherry would be most appropriate. After a rich and glutinous fish like stewed eels, or after any entree with strong rich brown gravy, the palate requires something rather more stimulating, and, in my opinion, no wine in the world is equal to Burgundy to drink with dinner, either with water or without. Still, claret, though not so stimulating, is an admirable wine to drink after rich dishes. I think it will be foimd that the general principle, that the richer the dish the more stimulatmg must be the wine, holds true for nearly all kinds of food. For instance, roast pork is a rich dish, and it is one of the few kinds of food that persons drink port wine after. Roast goose is another rich dish, and it is customary after eating roast goose to have a small liquor glass of brandy. I have a little further on quoted Francatelli's opinion with regard to the service of wine, and it will be seen that he particularly calls attention to the absurd custom of serving sweet champagne early in dinner. As a rule, however, champagne is generally dry in this country. The Duke de Montebello's sec, Pommery and Greno's extra sec, and Heidseck's Monopole, are all admirable dry wines, and we think the former, though not equal in repute to the two latter, is quite their equal, both in quality and flavour.

Cassell's dictionary of cookery