Miss Corson's practical American cookery and household management

As has already been said, the number of wines served, depends upon the character of the dinner. At a small dinner, a good Bordeaux wine may be served throughout, flagons of it being placed upon the table slightly chilled; carafes of water and cracked ice should also be on the table. A more pleasant effect is produced by serving champagne with the roast, the claret flagons remaining on the table. The best succession of wines at a small dinner is a white wine, such as Sauteme, or sherry, as far as the entrees ; then claret to the roast; and, with and after the roast, iced champagne. As many glasses are placed before each guest as there are wines ; and they should be, as Ruskin says, "radiantly clean." Colored glasses are used for white and Rhine wines. Guests who take no wine may either turn down the glasses, or by a sign forbid the attendant filling them ; when the wine is poured but not drank, the fact is very conspicuous. The wines are poured from the right hand of the guest, the glasses not being quite filled : the servant mentions the name of each wine before he pours it, so that the guest may decline it if he wishes to do so. At a family dinner, ale may be served with crackers and cheese. At an elaborate dinner, a good succession of wines is as follows : upon the table, decanters of chilled sherry and Madeira, one of each being near enough to the host to ■ permit him to pass them ; a good Bordeaux or claret in flagons, the wine having been slightly chilled* before pouring it from the bottles. All the wines which are iced, and poured from the original bottles, should be held with a napkin. The Burgundies should be about the temperature of the room in winter, and of the outer air in summer ; the Sauternes should be slightly cooled, and poured from the original bottles. All the sparkling wines should be in coolers, in the original bottles ; a bottle of champagne in a cooler should be on the floor at the right side of the host. With the shellfish a white Burgundy or good Sauterne, such as Chablis or Chateau Yquem, is most acceptable ; the same wines, or sherry, with the soup ; if the soup is turtle or terrapin, punch or old Madeira is called for ; with the fish, a good Sauterne, Moselle, or hock ; when large removes or releves are served, an old Madeira is in place ; with the entrees the claret comes, and after them the Roman punch or sorbet; if any wine is served here, it should be Burgundy, which may remain during the service of the roast unless it is replaced with champagne iced in coolers ; with the large sweets, old port or Madeira is appropriate, and then all the large wineglasses except the one in use should be removed. A warm wine is required when there are several iced sweets, and with ice-cream Canton ginger is acceptable ; with the candied fruit and nuts, the liqueurs and cordials are placed, with, small glasses ; and brandy is served with black coffee. If any of the dinner-wines re-appear at dessert, fresh glasses are set upon the table with them, and a bottle is always placed near enough to the host for him to pass it.