Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-05-13
Wine Adulteration.

In our last number we promised to say some
thing further on this interesting subject, and in
doing so we shall call attention to one of the
most remarkable pieces of impudence that has,
for some time fallen to our lot to chronicle
When we take wine with friend. or buy it for
our own use, we do so having an honest faith
that it is pure and we should little suspect that
any one would purposely attempt to deceive us,
by giving or selling us that which they knew to
be bad liquor; yet we shall be obliged to doubt
every wine, now that, las many of our readers
have doubtless seen, a chemist advertises in the
daily papers of this city, his =" favorings to pro-
duce at moments notice, any desired liquor"
We are told that great improvements have late
y been made in this branch of business, j. e.,
adulteration; and in consequence, we can pur-
chase of the aforesaid chemist gallon or more
of the essence or oil of any desired liquor, and
by merely adding one barrel of pure spirits, the
liquor will be manufactured, "fairly comparing
with the best brands. Brandy of " four times
the value of the original COST can be artif-
cially made and lastly, an oil for producing
Catawba brandy is sold at moderate price,
These substances are all made and sold in New
York, and no doubt, large quantities are con-
7umed all over the country, the consumers i'm
agining that they are drinking genuine az
ticle
This craving for foreign favor and foreign
names has In great measure ruined the Amer
can wines as American, for, says writer in
Hunts Merchants Magazine, ''a great evil in
the manufacture OF American wines consists in
the endeavor to initiate foreign varieties-adul-
terations and all; and it is owing to this that
we have no American wine'' 1t is asserted
that there is not selfsupporting vineyard in
the United States, except the one producing
Catawba !; and with the exception of one or two
in California, not fair sample of American
wine. The sparkling Catawba of 1858 was
peculiar wine, having flavor that has never
been initiated and which had not been before
known; but that is now scarce and many in
ferior and adulterated varieties are passed upon
the unwary for the genuine article. The only
and perfect way to discourage adulteration is to
patronize and encourage home grown wines, and
accept them as such. 1t is very probable that,
at the onset, they may be little more expen-
sive but if, by paying little more, we can
get pure article, it is well worth the extra ex-
pense.
We are afraid that if commissioner was ap-
pointed to examine the liquors retailed over bars
In this city alone, they would find very few quite
pure. In gin would be discovered turpentine
and peppermint in brandy, burnt sugar of the
worst description, and bad spirits whiskey
would contain camphene; port wine, infusion
of logwood; sherry adulterated spirits called
brandy, and other mixtures champagne would
prove old gooseberry; and claret would be diff
cult to examine, SO multifarious would its in
gradients be found. Without going any further
than our own office, patents have been taken
out through the Scientific American Agency for
making champagne from cider, by mpregnating
1t with carbonic acid and we understand that
the business is not only successful but large
one. Another, for giving to wines and spirits,
by artificial means, in six months, that age and
maturity which, in natural way, many years
could only bring. In fact, it is impossible to
enumerate the impositions that are praticed. and
it is high time that some examinations of the
purity of eatables and drinkables was made by
} the authorities of every city. There is no doubt
, that board of examiners, chemists, microsco-
pists, and Others, having power to purchase, ex-
anime, and condemn all articles unfit for human
consumption, would tend to increase the health
of our cities and the honesty of dealers. Such
a tribunal must some day be appointed, and the
sooner the better, say we.-Scientifc American.