The judging of wines is an important part of every bachelor's education. To judge properly is as fine an art as painting a picture or composing a poem. The connoisseur des vins should be able at once to detect the faults of a wine. Wine is like women and song - it has its faults, and is occasionally off the key. That's why the three go together.

When a man says he is an expert judge of wines, look out for him. The chances are that the only brands he ever tasted are Mumm's and Grandma's Grape Juice, claret lemonade, Near-Stein-mit-Sizzler, and Hock, and that he wouldn't know sherry from Chéret.

Nine points for a bachelor to remember in judging the juice of the vine are:

(1) The color. (Blue at the beginning, roseate at the ending, and yellow in the morning.)

(2) The clearness. ("The clearness of the bubbling wine reflected in her eye.")

(3) The bouquet. (Forget-me-nots, Babies' Breath, and Lady-Slippers.)

(4) The alcoholic strength. (It's strong enough to carry you home.)

(5) The body. (Gin a body meet a body, comin' thro' the Rye.)

(6) The quality of flavor. (The best wines taste of the Mint.)

(7) The harmony of the different constituents. (Ask the United States Senate.)

(8) In sparkling winesj vivacity. (All does not glitter that sparkles.)

(9) The endurance of foam. (" When the foam is on the schooner, Molly dear.")

In France, men are frequently educated as wine tasters. In America, this profession is overcrowded. The technicality of taste must not be overlooked. The room should be of a temperature not over sixty degrees Fahrenheit, with plenty of diffused light. The temperature at which wines are tasted has a great deal to do with bringing out their best qualities. Red wines, as Burgundies or clarets, taste best at a temperature of sixty to sixty-five degrees, but white, still wines, such as Sauternes and Chablis, are best at fifty to fifty-five degrees; sparkling wines from forty to forty-five degrees; and dessert wines at from sixty-five to seventy degrees. Too often champagne is drunk ice-cold.

Drinking is one thing and judging is another, and the bouquet and other qualities of champagne are never brought out so well at a very low temperature. Never ice claret, or serve warm, white wines.

Proper decanting and serving of wines are the most important functions of a host. It should be his pride that every wine is served in the best possible condition. Every bottle should be " candle bright " - which means that a glass of wine held up against a candle in a dark place should be perfectly brilliant.

In removing a cork from a bottle, use a " reverse corkscrew" and extract the cork without the slightest movement or shake to the bottle.

While drawing it off in the decanter, closely watch the condition of the wine in the bottle, and stop pouring as soon as the " cloud," or deposit, approaches the neck. This rule applies to Burgundies, ports, and clarets, which frequently show crusts or deposits in the bottle.

Still hocks and moselles are generally served without decanting. Colored glasses are used for these white wines for the reason that the deposits they throw down in each bottle are generally of such light specific gravity that it is impossible to decant them bright - and colored glasses hide these defects.

It is no longer considered in good taste to fill a champagne glass to the brim. Leave about a quarter-inch free. Refill a half-emptied glass so as not to lose the sparkle, but never overdo the filling-up.

Englishmen sometimes decant old vintage champagnes - but they retain very little effervescence.

A Londoner volunteers the information that " champagne when first introduced into Great Britain was as a substitute for brandy-and-soda; hence it was wanted dry. In fact, the demands of the English palate may be said to be responsible for the dry champagne."

" Champagne dinner -All take warning; Cow und Seltzer In the morning."