In this illustration of "the Dilletante Society" we find that Noblemen and Gentlemen such as Lord Mulgrave, Lord Seaforth, Hon. Chas. Greville, Charles Crowle, and the Duke of Leeds, drank their claret out of the black bottle - dispensing with the decanter altogether.

"On the occasion of the vintage, as it is absolutely essential that the grapes should be gathered, not only when perfectly dry, but also warm, the cutters never commence work until the sun has attained a certain height, and invariably suspend their labours when rain threatens, or mists begin to rise. At the first gathering they detach simply the graines rôties, or such grapes as have dried after arriving at proper maturity, rejecting those which have shrivelled with-out thoroughly ripening, and, from the former, a wine of extreme softness and density, termed crème de tête, is produced.

"By the time the first gathering has terminated, other grapes will have sufficiently ripened and rotted, or dried, and both sorts are now detached, yielding the wine called vin de tête, distinguished by equal softness with the crème de tête, but combined with a larger amount of alcohol, and greater delicacy of flavour. At this point, a delay generally ensues, according to the state of the weather, it being requisite, towards the end of October, to wait while the rays of the sun, combined with the night dews, bring the remainder of the grapes to maturity, when the third gathering takes place, from which the wine, termed centre, frequently very fine and spirituous, is produced. Another delay now ensues, and then commences the final gathering, when all the grapes remaining on the stalks are picked, which, when the vintage has been properly conducted, is usually only a very small quantity, yielding what is termed the vin de queue"

However, although it is not given to all of us to be able to afford Chateau d'yquem, yet there are many of the other white wines of France, which are within ordinary limits, and which compare more than favourably with the red wines.

Burgundy and other Wines.

Verily there cannot be much amiss with wine that causes a holy man (by profession) to break forth into song as follows:

"Nous les boirons lentement, Nous les boirons tendrement,

Ton Clos Vougeot, ton Romanee: Par nous la sainte liqueur, Qui nous rechauffe le coeur,

Ne sera jamais profanee."

More generous than the wines of Bordeaux, it has been the drink of Kings and Popes, and perhaps no vineyard has a similar honour done it as that of Clos-vougeot (Napoleon's favourite wine); for when a French regiment marches past that celebrated vineyard, it halts, and presents arms. On the golden slope - the Côte d'or - is grown this wine of Bur-gundy, and the vignerons divide the district into two parts, the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune, the first of which produces the finest wines, from Vosne especially, whence corne Romanée-conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée-st. Vivant, La Grande Rue, Gaudichat, Malconsort, and others; but of ail these Romanée Conti is king. Unfortunately the yield of this vineyard is very small, and genuine Romanée is seldom to be met with. But there are plenty of good wines to be bought at moderate prices, those of Chambertin, Volnay, Beaune, Mâcon, and Beaujolais. Chief among the white Burgundies is Chablis; but there are other sorts, not half enough drank in England - Mâcon, Pouilly, Meursault, Chevalier-montrachet, Montrachet-ainé, and many other fine white wines. Sparkling Burgundy is not to be despised.

The Côtes du Rhone produce fine wines, too, such as H ermitage, Côte Rôtie, Condrieu, and St. Peray; but of these, perhaps, Hermitage red and white are best known to us.

Much wine is made in the South of France, in the departments of the Hérault, the Gard, the Aude, and the Pyrenées-orientales, whilst Languedoc has always been famous for its wines, which are very similar to some Spanish varieties. Roussillon is nearly as good as Burgundy, and, after being manipulated at Cette, is often palmed off as "Vintage Port," and the Muscat wines of the Hérault and the Pyrenées-orientales are particularly luscious, especially those from Lunel.

Some wines come from Corsica, but they do not find their way, as such, into the English market; no doubt, though, but we have them in some shape, for the mystifications of the wine trade are stupendous, and, to an outsider, unfathomable.

Germany: Rhine Wines - Heidelberg Tun - Hock - Steinwein

Asmannhauser - Straw Wines - Goethe's Opinion of Wine. Greece: Verdea - Vino Santo - The Wine of Night. Hungary: Maszlacz - Tokay - Carlowitz - Erlauer. Italy: Monte Pulciano - Chianti - Barolo - Barbera - Montefiascone -Lachryma Christi, etc. Madeira: Malvasia - Tinta - Bual, etc. Persia: Shiraz.