hasaskedifthereisnootherwineinthehouse；hasbeeninformedthatthereissome\"sourishforeignstuffthatnobodyeverdrinks\"；hascalledforabottleofit；hasfounditBurgundy，suchasallFrancecannotnowproduce，hascunninglykepthisowncounselwiththewidowedlandlady，andhasboughtthewholestockfor\"anoldsong。\"SometimesheknowstheproprietorofafamoustaverninLondon，andherecommendshisoneortwoparticularfriends，thenexttimetheyarepassingthatway，togoinanddine，andgivehiscomplimentstothelandlord，andaskforabottleofthebrownsherry，withthelightblue——asdistinguishedfromthedarkblue——seal。Thousandsofpeopledinethereeveryyear，andthinktheyhavegotthefamoussherrywhentheygetthedarkblueseal；buttherealwine，thefamouswine，isthelightblueseal，andnobodyinEnglandknowsitbutthelandlordandhisfriends。Inallthesewine—conversations，whatevervarietytheremaybeinthevariousexperiencesrelated，oneoftwogreatfirstprinciplesisinvariablyassumedbyeachspeakerinsuccession。Eitherheknowsmoreaboutitthananyoneelse，orhehasgotbetterwineofhisowneventhantheexcellentwineheisnowdrinking。Mencangettogethersometimeswithouttalkingofwomen，withouttalkingofhorses，withouttalkingofpolitics，buttheycannotassembletoeatamealtogetherwithouttalkingofwine，andtheycannottalkofwinewithoutassumingtoeachoneofthemselvesanabsoluteinfallibilityinconnectionwiththatsinglesubjectwhichtheywouldshrinkfromassertinginrelationtoanyothertopicunderthesun。
Howlongtheinevitablewine—talklastedontheparticularsocialoccasionofwhichIamnowwritingismorethanIcanundertaketosay。Ihadheardsomanyotherconversationsofthesamesortatsomanyothertablesthatmyattentionwanderedawaywearily，andIbegantoforgetallaboutthedulllittledinner—partyandthebadly—assortedcompanyofguestsofwhomIformedone。HowlongIremainedinthisnotover—courteousconditionofmentaloblivionismorethanIcantell；butwhenmyattentionwasrecalled，induecourseoftime，tothelittleworldaroundme，I
foundthatthegoodwinehadbeguntodoitsgoodoffice。
Thestreamoftalkoneithersideofthehost’schairwasnowbeginningtoflowcheerfullyandcontinuously；thewine—conversationhadwornitselfout；andoneoftheelderguests——Mr。Wendell——wasoccupiedintellingtheotherguest——Mr。
Trowbridge——ofasmallfraudwhichhadlatelybeencommittedonhimbyaclerkinhisemployment。ThefirstpartofthestoryI