MORE PRACTICAL HINTS TO CONSUMERS .sx WE continue the interesting notes supplied by Mr. A. J. Koenen , Wine Importer , Vine Street , E.C.3 , the first portion of which was given in our Winter Issue .sx The finest vintages since 1890 with heavy body and exceptionally fine aroma were the 1893 , 1911 and 1921 .sx Next to these three were 1904 , 1905 , 1907 , 1915 , 1917 , 1923 and 1925 .sx The 1923 was the smallest harvest for almost a century , especially on the Moselle ; just about the time the picking began there was such a plague of mice that where the grower expected several hundredweights of grapes in a vineyard , it was found within twenty-four hours that they had diminished to a few pounds , a circumstance no living person had ever experienced before .sx One specially good vintage with elegancy and extra fine bouquet was the 1917 vintage and nearest to .sx this was the 1925 , which has improved wonderfully with bottle age , a most remarkable vintage for its brilliancy , and is to-day as brilliant after two or three years in bottle as it was the day it was bottled .sx The next to this vintage in brilliancy was 1897 .sx The 1925 vintage makes a good follower to the 1921 , and is now ready for present consumption .sx THE 1921 vintage stands alone as the " dream " wine of the century , but is becoming scarce .sx A lot of these exceptional vintages were spoilt by being bottled much too early , they really required a cask maturing of from three to five years .sx Those that were bottled soon after the .sx second or third racking had to be put back into cask as the corks were blown out of the bottles through fermenting again in the bottle .sx At that time the Hocks and Moselles were almost as sweet as the finest French Sautermes and only gained their fine delicate dry taste through cask maturing .sx The 1921 Hocks and Moselles which were kept in cask and only bottled from autumn 1924 to spring 1926 are the wines that will keep for a life-time and retain greatness .sx The very old fine vintages are getting extremely scarce and expensive .sx The two vintages , 1928 and 1929 , will become choice wines and will well follow the 1925 ; the 1928 will equal that fine dry type like the 1897 and 1925 , and be an exceptionally fine clean wine .sx The 1929 , Mr. Koenen confidently predicts , will prove equal to the very fine 1917 vintage .sx IN the opinion of many connoisseurs the finest " dry " Moselles are those from the banks of the River Saar , a tributary of the Moselle .sx The Saar River and district will be familiar to all , through the recent Hague Conference .sx Such wines as Scharzhofberger , Scharzberger , Ockfener Bockstein , Canzemer , Oberemmeler , Wiltinger Holle and Wiltinger Kupp are amongst the choicest of the Saar Wines , and are rightly famous for their fine bouquet , elegancy and pleasant flavour .sx The other tributary of the Moselle , a small river called the Ruwer , also produces from its valleys a few rather pleasing wines , such as Maximin Grunhauser , Caseler , Eitelsbacher and Waldracher .sx NATURAL Moselles are not only most refreshing , noted for their choice bouquet , delicacy , pleasant acidity and purity , but have supreme dietetic value and are recommended by the Medical Profession , especially in cases of diabetes , .sx gout , rheumatism , etc. The fine aroma peculiar .sx to Moselles is due largely to the slaty soil and the special conditions of climate .sx The most renowned of all the Berncasteler Moselles are those from the " Doctor " Estates , and particularly those which have for long years been in the possession of the Doctor Hugo Thanisch family .sx The genuine " Berncasteler Doctor " Wines have wonderful aroma , hence they are world-famous and much sought after .sx There are many people under the impression that Moselles and Hocks bottled in this country are not so good as those bottled abroad .sx Mr. Koenen's own opinion , after an experience of over forty years , is that if wines are really well matured abroad , shipped in the right season , well rested and stored in good cellars with right temperatures , then bottled at the correct time , they will equal those bottled abroad .sx Wines shipped in cask and bottled in this country will cost the consumer 4s .sx per dozen bottles less in duty and about 2s .sx less in freight .sx The bottling expenses are in many instances cheaper in England than abroad , and , in addition , British Industry is being helped by giving home employment .sx The genuine wine merchant will always see to it that he has an experienced staff to do the bottling , and that only the best corks are used , a matter of the utmost importance .sx THE wines which grow along the banks of the Rhine and its tributaries are known in this country as " Hocks " ( in Germany , " Rheinwein " ) and the best come from the Rhinegau , Rhine-Hesse and Palatinate ( Rheinpfalz ) districts , with smaller quantities of the Stein wines from Franconia .sx Each of these districts produces world-famous wines of distinctive character and charm of their own , some extremely full , luscious , and with wonderful bouquet .sx These wines , on account of the varied aspect and soil where they are grown , give the connoisseur much real pleasure in the great variety of pure and elegant wines available .sx Perhaps the most famous of all , are the Rhinegau Hocks , which include such wonderful wines as Johannisberger , Steinberger , Schloss Vollradser , Marcobrunner , Rauenthaler and Rudesheimer .sx SEVERAL Hocks of the Rhine-Hesse district are very elegant , have an extraordinarily fine bouquet and some stand in type and flavour between the fine Moselles and the Rhinegau Hocks , including many of the Binger , Niersteiner , Oppenheimer and Liebfraumilch wines .sx The Palatinate Hocks arevery charming and noted for their remarkable , sweetness , especially the Deidesheimer , Forster and Ruppertsberger wines .sx THERE are no Red Wines on the Moselle , but there are quite a lot in the valleys of the Rhine tributaries , such as the Ahr and the Nahe , and also in a number of other places on the Rhine .sx Two famous wines amongst the red Hocks are the Assmannshauser and Ingelheimer .sx All details with reference to the gathering , pressing , maturing , etc. , of Moselles apply equally to Hocks , with the exception of Red Hocks .sx It should be mentioned , however , that the cask measure used on the Rhine is a " Stuck , " and the capacity of this cask is 1,280 litres , as compared with the 960 litres capacity of the Fuder used on the Moselle , but generally on the Rhine Hocks are now sold per 1,000 litres .sx IF the red grapes were pressed in the same way as the white ones , they would not make a red wine , but it would be a white wine with a little red tint .sx As everyone knows , the inside of the red grapes is green , the same as with white grapes .sx The red grapes are mashed and left standing several days in tubs , being stirred frequently during the day , and through coming in contact with the air , the mash turns red , deriving its colour from the skin of the grape .sx Hocks and Moselles should always be served cold , and if possible should be slightly iced .sx It is a good plan to open the bottles some twenty minutes or so before drinking , as they will then show their real fine bouquet to best advantage .sx Popular Wines of the Present Period .sx SOME REMARKS ABOUT SHERRY .sx THERE is no better " all-round " wine than Sherry , for it can be drunk with all meals .sx Moreover , on account of the peculiar soil and climatic conditions under which the grapes grow , causing the wine to have a high percentage of iron , sherry is recommended by the medical profession as a most beneficial tonic .sx A further point in favour of Sherry is the fact that it keeps well and travels well , and unlike most other wines which arrive at a time when they are at their best , never ceases to improve provided that the wine is good at .sx the start .sx BY an obviously easy transition the " vino do Jerez " ( pronounced " herreth " ) came into the English language as Sherry .sx Jerez is derived .sx from a Greek word meaning dry , and in French to-day " sec " is applied to a dry wine , or a wine .sx free from sweetness .sx Strictly speaking , therefore , Sherry should mean Jerez wine , and undoubtedly Jerez is the home of Sherry .sx " Manzanilla , " however , a wine produced close by at San Lucar , to the West of Jarez , and " Montilla , " a wine produced at a town of that name , south of Cordova , are famous wines which come under the same category .sx BY far the greatest quantity of Sherry is produced at Jerez de la Frontera .sx The conversion of .sx the juice of the Jerez grape into Sherry is the simplest possible process ; it is essentially and purely a natural operation , and the grower is content to be an onlooker of the process with little power to influence its progress either for bad or for good .sx THE Solera wine , as it is sometimes called , is .sx the breeding ground , on which the young , .sx immature wines are placed to develop delicacy .sx refined taste and good character .sx The " solera " .sx is drawn upon again and again for blending , and .sx the quantity so abstracted is made up by the addition .sx of a wine which in turn requires this wholesome .sx infection .sx Thus , by a very interesting and beautiful .sx method of culture depending upon the inherent .sx property of the fermented juice itself are the aroma , .sx bouquet and fragrance which are so marked a characteristic of Sherry handed down from generation to generation of vintages , and the palatable .sx and peculiar flavours of a Sherry may happen to .sx have descended from a wine perhaps three centuries or even a greater number or years old .sx THESE are known by several distinguishing .sx terms .sx There are three ( or four ) distinct .sx types of Sherry , and these are known by several .sx distinguishing terms according to the character and special qualities of the wine ranging from the rich and generous dark wines to those of the light and delicate type .sx The special characteristics of the Fino which are greatly appreciated , are pale colour and delicate fragrance .sx If left to grow old , however , most finos develop into Amontillados , pale dry wines of a high class which make an excellent tonic .sx Then comes the Olorso , a full flavoured nutty wine , old and rich , with a darker shade of colour and the brown Sherry , of the old-fashioned type , which was very popular in the old days .sx THE Bodega is an overground cellar usually .sx consisting of a very large , lofty and capacious .sx building , containing hundreds and often .sx thousands of butts of wine in different stages of .sx development .sx The interior of the building is .sx kept as cool as possible and away from the influences .sx of the sun , while ventilation is efficiently secured .sx Here the tasting of the wine goes on from day to .sx day , and changes are made according to the resulting .sx observations , and here it is that the skill of the grower .sx is chiefly centred , and his delicate sense of smell and .sx taste is constantly employed in order to note what qualities his wines may be developing .sx . UNLIKE most wines , Sherries may be stored in butts freely open to the air , and it is interesting to note that the wine improves rather than deteriorates under those conditions and becomes more advanced in the direction of developing bouquet and delicate flavour .sx With the light , delicate wine known as " fino " a " flor " or microscopic plant ( mycoderma vini ) develops on the surface which is highly regarded as the agent concerned in contributing excellent character to this class of wine .sx Obviously such a wine cannot be bottled till the " flor " has ceased to grow , as otherwise an unfinished wine with murky appearance would result .sx Wines of every description and type are contained in the bodegas , while the age of the wine varies from a hundred years to the previous year's vintage .sx THE following description of Sherry , contained in a wine merchant's recent price list to the consumer sums up admirably some of the incomparable merits of the wine :sx " Sherry and a biscuit is an indispensable morning institution .sx The wine has many claims to general flavour ; it remains fresh for many weeks after opening ; it may be consumed before , during and after a meal ; its flavour is unimpaired even by tobacco smoke ; it is an ideal aperitif and is also an excellent tonic wine , being a restorative .sx