FASHIONS IN WINE

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 86, 5 January 1935, Page 6

FASHIONS IN WINE

Cocktails “An Abomination”

In the rubicund gleam of a wine bottle there has been reflected for Mr. H. Todd half a century of social change and a revolution in many manners and customs.

Mr. Todd, who is chairman of a wine firm, and who, on November 8 celebrated his fiftieth anniversary with the firm, discussed some of these changes with a correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph.” “When I was a youth there were three decanters passed round the table —Madeira, port, and sherry,” Mr. Todd said. “Nowadaysi It is, unfortunately, a rarity for a host to produce Madeira for his guests. The throe-bottle man has disappeared, too. “But men on the whole drink less, women drink more than their Victorian ancestors. It’s just another indication of woman’s emancipation. Generally I find young women like a sweet wine. As they grow older their taste seems to veer over to the drier ones. “A big change in taste, which I think is very much appreciated by women, is the increased popularity of sherry as a substitute for cocktails. Compared with 50 years ago. I should say that the positions of port and sherry have been

"In any case,” Mr. Todd added, with conviction, "the cocktail will passmark my words.”

When Mr. Todd entered the firm his father, one of the partners, made him start at the bottom, and he has' be>m through all the departments fro n bottle-washing to his present position or chairman

reversed in the matter of popularity. “But perhaps the most remarkable change—a revolution, in fact—is the advent of the huze blocks of flats. Do you know that we are at present storing hundreds and hundreds of bottios of wino for people who have no cellars? There Is a great number of flat dwellers, many, of whom at one time lived in mansion houses, who like to keep very well-stocked cellars—in our vaults.

“Why cannot architects of flats provide even a small amount of space for wine? This is rarely done, and I have urged it many times.” The correspondent ventured a question about the cocktail- Mr. Todd Indicated his horror. “An abomination —medically, socially, scientifically, aesthetically, an abomination. In my young days nobody wanted to drink before meals But. if you must, drink sherry.