Excerpt from A History and Description of Modern Wines The separation of all knowledge which is of a useful character from abstruse terms or pedantic conjectures, seems demanded by the present call for works which convey as much as possible of fact. Man is become a more active animal than he ever was before. While the mass of human life appears to have received a prolonged duration, it seems given only to stimulate activity, and leaves the impress upon the mind, owing to its redoubled occupation, that years fleet with more than their former rapidity. The wines of the moderns are, there is no doubt, much more perfect than those of the ancients, as far as can be discovered by any thing authentic, which has reached the present time. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1833 edition. Excerpt: ...cliffs which are accessible, are planted with vines. Wherever there is a slip or fall of the cliff leaving a few feet of surface, a mere ledge, to which there is no other mode of access than being let down by a rope, even there the vine is set. The fondness of the Spaniards for this branch of husbandry is so strong as to make them, in some places, neglect every other species of cultivation, thus habituated are they to that which long usage has made to them a second nature. The red wines of this province are not remarkable for quality. The Malvasia made at Sitgas is considered very good, but the manufacture of all kinds is negligent beyond example. The exportation, though considerable, has been chiefly for mingling with other wines of less strength. From Tarragona five thousand pipes of wine, and four hundred of brandy, are annually shipped off. These wines are of good body, but manufactured in the wretched mode of the country. The grapes are used without selection, and no pains are taken in the cellar. Yet the wine finds a tolerable market. Borja produces a luscious white wine. The country about Tarragona, on the road to Barcelona, is almost wholly a wine country. Matarohas some excellent-vines, but the wine as usual is made in the most careless manner, and neither fined nor racked. From Valencia a considerable quantity of Beni Carlos wine is exported, chiefly to France, to mingle with claret for England. It comes from a town of that name, to the eastward of the city of Valencia. There is also a wine made at Beni Carlos, of tolerable quality, consumed upon the spot. The wines of La Torre, Segorbe, and Muviedro, are generous and good. The Beni Carlos wines are also bought up to mix with Port in the English market, and are sent to England...