Sherry should be served thoroughly chilled.
Madeira should be neither warm nor cold, but of about the same temperature as the room.
Claret should be served at the same temperature as Madeira, never with ice; it should remain about forty-eight hours standing, then decanted, care being observed that no sediment enter the decanter.
Champagne should either be kept on ice for several hours previous to serving, or it should be half frozen; it is then called Champagne frappé. It is frozen with some difficulty. The ice should be pounded quite fine, then an equal amount of salt mixed with it. A quart bottle of Champagne well surrounded by this mixture should be frozen in two hours, or, rather, frozen to the degree when it may be poured from the bottle.
Treatment of Wines.
Connoisseurs on the subject of wine say much depends upon its treatment before it is served; that it is invariably much impaired in flavor through ignorance of proper treatment in the cellar; and that a wine of ordinary grade will be more palatable than one of better quality less carefully managed. They say wine should never be allowed to remain in case, but unpacked, and laid on its side. Above all, wine should be stored where it is least exposed to the changes of temperature.
All red wines should be kept dry and warm, especially clarets, which are more easily injured by cold than by heat. Consequently, on account of the rigor of our winters, clarets are better stored in a closet on the second floor (not too near a register) than in a cellar. Champagnes and Rhine wines stand cold better than heat, which frequently causes fermentation. The warmer sherry, Madeira, and all spirits are kept, the better.
Choice of Brands.
Champagne.—Perhaps the choicest brands of Champagne are Pomméry (dry, supposed to mean less sweet), Giesler (sweet), Veuve Cliquot (sweet), and Roederer (sweet). The best of the cheaper Champagnes are Charles Roederer, Heidsick, Montebello, and Krug.
Claret.—Choicest brands: Châteaux La Rose, Château La Tour, Château Lafitte, or Château Margeaux. Best cheaper brand, St. Julien.