Daily national Democrat., 1861-03-31
Wine Cnltrre-I,s nenetits. etc.

soon, one OF The great wiue-gro wing countries
of the globe. The kinds of wine now made
in this State are red and white wine. The lat
ter. nsin all countries is the best, it being the
purest juice Of the grape and the first that runs
from the press. Port wine is made from the
very best of the grapes, but the cost Of maxi
ing it is SO much that but limited supply has
been manufactured Angelica is sweet wine
and is made / y adding brandy to white wine,
in the ratio of one to three, as it comes from
the press. None but the choicest grapes are
used in its manufacture. The brandy that
Is used in its manufacture must have the true
grape flavor. Champagne wine has been pro-
dueed by cansevaine & Brothers, under the
name Of sparkling California, aud is in great
repute. Andrew W Mckee, in his tract ON
the subject says:
"1he two principal firms engaged in the
manufacture and sale of Los Angeles wines
and brandes, and the most extensive in the
State, are Messrs. Sansevain Brothers and
Messrs. Kobler, Frohling d Bauch both Of
which firms are proprietors of extensive
vineyards, with large and excellent wine
cellars at the vineyards and in the city of
san Francisco. The eight large cellars of
Messrs. oansevain Brothers in Los Angeles
county, filled with wine and brandy, prest MT
an astonishing picture of rapid wealth 1t
is apparent that it is directly the interest of
the above named firms to treat native wine
honestly and fairly" These firms use not
only the grapes from their vineyards but buy
of the neigh boring Vineyards 1t is theirin-
tention to retain one half Of the crop of
each year, so that the great lack of Califonil
wines now, towit: age, may be supplied.
Our friend Covilaud, of this city, has on
hand at this time the best brandy that is to
be found in the country. 1t is manufactured
10y himself from his own grapes, and his
wines are Of the finest quality. For their
age, they cannot he surpassed. The Smith
Brothers, of Sacramento, make better white
wine than we have ever eeen with the Los
Angeles brand, boast how they will below of
their Los Angeles wine. The hte wine by
Coviaud and by the smiths is The best white
wine in the State, in our humble opinion
Vineyards are being cultivated all over
the State, north and south, in the valleys
and in the hills Intelligent and we'll in
formed Frenchmcn, Germans, Italians end
Spanards all unite in saying (says Mr.. Me-
Il hpn in his chat tb.ra = r
the Mediterranean, or of the interior of Eu-
rope, better adapted to the cultivation of the
vine and manufacture of wine and brandy
than California; that it has equally as good
a climate and naturally better soil.
Matthew Keller, Of Los Angeles, thus de-
scribes the process of making wine III that
county. Our friend Covillaud, we think, fol
lows different method:
"The grapes are deprived of their stems by
hand; they are then mashed between wooden
or iron rollers; some tread them out in the
ancient style. A portion of the juice runs
into cooling val, without pressing; the re-
suit being must for white wine. AS t. e
grapes are black, and the coloring matter en-
lists only the in skin, and requires in some de-
gree the presence Of alcohol to dissolve it, if
the pressing be done quickly, the wine will
be white but if slowly, or if the grapes
come broken from the vineyard, the must
will show collar; for as soon as the fruit is
broken, and the juice comes in contact with
the air, fermentation commences, and sin!ui-
taneodsly with it, the presence ofalcohol, in a
greater of less degree, which extracts the
coloring matter The must is then trahs-
ferred into the termenting tuns and the first
active fermentation goes on, according to cir
cun3t0nces for from four to ten days. The
mashed grapes are put into watts to ferment,
from which results led wine. This is, il part
distilled into brandy. Some persons disil
red wine with the mare into brandy i'm
mediately after fermentation, but if left to
pass secondary fermentation, it would yield
more alcohol.
The wine is racked off in January and
February, again in March and April, and for
the third time in September 1t should BE
taken off the lees after the first fermentation
subsidies, when the wine has settled; for it
cannot gain anything by being allowed to
stand ON the lees longer than is absolutely
necessary.
The proportions of saccharine matter and
ferment in our grapes are well balanced
tlcAClOl Z buNlC - nv CAi4hOl hluliN ar III
making; as it will make itself, with common
care and without the addition of any extra
neous Substance. The purest and finest
juice Of the grape alone.
More capital is needed to make proper cell
lars, procure necessary materials, and to en-
able us to hold our wines till they have age,
when they would compare favorably with
tl,a = -,
mandatory, that we may store our wines,
and prevent eounterfeiting, which is now
going on extensively"
The prolific character of the Los Angeles
vine may be judged of by the following cir
cumstance related by Mr.. Keller;
"A poor woman in the adjoining county
Of Santa Barbara has but one vine. 1t bore
last year five thousand punches of beautiful
grapes weighing over pound each, yielding
her the handsome sum of $40O. When a
girl, and leaving Monterey to remove to her
drive her mule. This cutting she planted
upon her arrival, and after the lapse Of seven
years, such is the result
1t is subject of congratulation to the
world at large that the very limited supply
of pure wine now accessible, is to be increas-
ed by the culture of the grape in this rare
land. A learned writer speaks of wine as
"the real essence of life" Says he, this in
comparable nectar is not unknown here, fin
the United States for many thousand eagles
of gold cross the Atlantic annually to bring
it to us; but this privilege is only attainable
hu a fnu NJ Liln thn n1nae nf tnn t,nn1lA NM.