Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1860-06-07

THURSDAY MORNING., JUNE :, 1860.


he unsuitable to the culture OF the wine, we
may instance the case of the United States,
where considerable progress is being made
over a large extent OF territory. ana IN Wide
" dissimilar climates. ilr. Erskine, our
Secretary Of Legation at Washington, III re-
mort recently submitted to the Foreign oHice,
furnishes some interesting details. 1t Is a
generally received opinion that, III Europe,
GOOD wine cannot be produced in regions
where the mean temperature OF the year ooeS
not exceed 80 deg. Of Fahrenheit; and IT Is
deemed essential that the summer heat should
l., Of some duration, with Il mean temporal
ture Of not more than 20 or Il deg; that
the atmosphere should generally be clear ANA
dry, the cold III winter not excessive. and
soil dry. Along the seaboard OF the United
States, most of these supposed requisites are
wanting: and 50 far back as the year 1917,
!Iumbolt predicted that the vine could not be
cultivated in America north Of the 10Th de-
gree Of north latitude, the climate oiwhlch, II
was assumed. would bear close resemblance
10 that Of the seth parallel in Europe. But
on The settlement Of the regions lying to the
west of the Allegheny Mountains, It was
found that the vine might be there grown
With greater prospect Of success, III conSc-
clcnce of the climate being less nolSt than
on tire coast: and accordingly q raIataole
red wine was made from the native grape
in Indiana and Missouri, toward tie enc ot
the last century. About the year 1870, tic
Catawba, native American grape, was first
brought into notice, having been found grow
ING in Georgetown, near Washington. This
vine, which is derived from the wild fox
grape. has gradually Supplantcd all others,
i ,i,,,ny II :. y
throughout the United States i0r making
wine. II imparts very peculiar mNSky la
vor to the wine dlspleaslny when ir@t tasted,
to many paiates but this dislike is easily
removed by habit, and the wine IS nuch rel
ished in Ohio and Missouri, where 1t sells
readily at prices which would he deemed
exorbltant IN the wine countries OF Europe.
The Cutawba is AT present almost the only
grape cultivated Oh Il large scale III North
America for wine. In time, however, other
varieties will doubtless be discovered. better
adapted to tile widely differing soils and eli
mates Of the Northcrn and Southern States.
In southern Missouri alone. 5,U00uoo acres
might be selected admirably calculated tor
VINEYARDS. without cncroaChmg upon the
better lands adapted 10 other crops. lhIS
single State has an area available t"r VINE
culture more than cqualling that OF ali tu-
rope. In the Carolnas and Georgia also,
there are said t. be hundreds OF thousands
of acres Of poor and partially exhausted hlli-
sides, which are unfit for the growth q e.
thcr cotton or maize, which mi GIT easily an,l
rheaply he converted into vineyards.
Even in California. the vine grows IN great
perfection, yielding al abundance Of rood
wine. The banks OF the Ohio ar" now stud
ded with VINEYARDS, between 800 10 2Wo
acres being planted in the Immediate vlcin-
itv Of Cincinnati. with every prospect o' Il
vast increase. In at least Twenty-Five "ut OF
thirty-two States in the Union, vineyards. OF
more OF less promise or extent, have been
planted
The extent Of vineyards is thus returned
ut the present time: III Ohio. 5000 acres !;
in Indiana 1000: in Missouri and Illinois,
500 each Georgia, leo; North Carolina. 800:
and South Carolina, 200. 1t - calculated
hat at least 2,OhU.UOO gallons Of wine arc
nov; raised in the United States the aver
age value of which may be taken 1T Is. per
g2llon.
large quantities Of sparkling wine are
made both at Cincinnati and 81. Louis, III
imitation Of champagne, and fetch, under
the meme Of Sparkling CataWba, about -
: bottle ii is made by exactly the same
complicated process, and, with a. much care
IL in France. which VIII account for the high
price. III no distant period, wine wi! Dc
produced is cheaply and a3Hndantly N the
United States rs in Europe, although not
equal to the best quality Of European wines.
whether American wines will ever become
All important article OF expert, must depend
.rainl Y anon the price at which they can oc