Note 53 — WINE.
Reading edition
“Had the man that first filled the Heidelburgh Tun, been placed as sentinel to see that no other Wine was put into it, I believe that he would have found it much better at 25 or 30 years old, than at 100 or 150, had he lived so long—retained his senses, and been permitted now and then to taste it—a privilege with which the natives are seldom indulged.
“To give a great price for Wine, and keep it till it begins to perish, is a great pity.” I cannot believe that very aged Wine, when bordering on Acid, is wholesome, though some Wine-drinkers seem to prefer it in that state. “Respecting Port Wine, there is a great fuss made by some about its age, and the crust on the bottle; as if the age and crust on the bottle constituted the quality of the Wine.” “Such crusty gentlemen shall not select Wine for me.”—Young’s Epicure, 8vo. 1815, p. 23, 28, &c.