| In 1940, the war in Europe had cut off supplies of | | | | like Chardonnay, both in its range of sweetness and |
| French wines and only a trickle of spirituous liquors | | | | dryness and in its uses. The most famous Sherry in |
| was coming into the American market. Importers | | | | the world once was Harvey's Bristol Cream, and it |
| turned en masse to California for a marketable | | | | was also one of the sweetest. It was too sweet for |
| source of revenue. Men carrying brief cases were a | | | | anything but dessert service or to accompany little |
| familiar sight in the vineyard valleys. They came with | | | | cakes in afternoon hospitality, however. At the other |
| gold and promises of nationwide distribution. Their | | | | end of the line is dry Amontillado, a Sherry |
| offers were irresistible to all but a few, those few | | | | completely without sweetness. A perfect aperitif, it is |
| who today can still call their souls their own. | | | | the most suitable of all pre-prandial drinks. |
| Wine, unlike whiskey, gin, and beer, depends upon | | | | There is no such thing as a "cooking Sherry" or, for |
| inventories built up patiently from vineyards that are | | | | that matter, a "cooking wine." "Cooking wine" is the |
| extended slowly. The product itself is only as good | | | | most expensive wine you can afford for that |
| as the grapes that give it life and the patient care | | | | purpose. When heat is applied to wine or any other |
| that gives it quality. Tremendous gallon-age is | | | | alcoholic beverage, the alcohol completely disappears |
| necessary for nationwide distribution. | | | | in vapor because it is evanescent, leaving only the |
| It is true that you can buy many of the finer wines | | | | intrinsic flavor of the product. What is left is no |
| in the principal cities of the land but you will not find | | | | better than the flavor of the wine and naturally, the |
| them on the shelves of every little cork and bottle | | | | better the wine, the better its flavor. |
| shop in even the largest metropolitan areas. This is | | | | Moscato Amabile, not to be confused with Muscat, is |
| not an unusual situation with the products of any | | | | made in the Spanish manner, a solera process. An old |
| creative industry. | | | | wine of the type desired is laid down as the "mother |
| Wines that are widely advertised and distributed in | | | | cask." Each successive year a wine of the same type |
| seeming limitless quantity are certainly a pleasant | | | | is laid down next to it, until a series of casks is |
| beverage, but you will not find, in many of them | | | | established. |
| those qualities which have excited the admiration of | | | | Sherry, when blended, happily takes on the |
| discriminating hosts down through the ages. | | | | characteristics of the oldest wine in the blend. All the |
| Obviously, rare and versatile wines are harder to find | | | | wine that is sold or removed is taken from the |
| and are much more costly than widely distributed | | | | mother cask, but never more than half. The mother |
| wines. | | | | cask is then refilled from the cask next to it and so |
| Sherry is one of the most versatile of all wines, much | | | | on all the way back down the line. |