Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1862-12-06

except, perhaps, at Kelly's Island
near Sandusky City, Ohio. We. have
not yet discovered or produced any
other grapes than the Catawba and
Clinton which can be properly usec
for making wine; the Oporto grape
furnishes port of doubtful quality
the Delaware juice forms very
agreeable wine, and is thought by
some to possess the qualities of true
wine grape, but it is not relied upon
by the wine makers of Ohio as a
profitable grape for this purpose
The Isabella grape does not come up
to the standard of a wine grape in
several respects.
The only wines for general use that
can probably be made in this country
at present are still, sour, hook vines,
similar to the sour German and Hun
garian wines, having barely sufficient
grape sugar to keep them from be-
coming Extensively sour, and a low
per centage of alcohol. We have yet
no grapes, in general cultivation,
capable of making wines having the
ricn, ssaacccclh..2rrine, alcoholic and highly
favored character pecuiisT to the fine
wines of France, Spain and Madeira.
Nor is it necessary to success in the
making and using of wine as COM
mon beverage by the people, instead
offery and poisonous alcoholic liquors
or badly made beer, that we should be
able to make fine, rich wines. The
light, cheap wines used by the people
of France and Germany with such
freedom and good effects as a daily
drink, and at almost every meal, are
almost identical in quality with the
still Catawba made at Cincinnati and
at Herman, Missouri. This kind of
wine is, in no respect, very injurious
to the habitual drinker. 1t is slightly
nutritious, assists in maintaining the
natural heat of the body, quenches the
thirst, promotes the digestion and as
similatiOn of food, and, after one has
become accustomed to it, is an agree
able and altogether refreshing and
useful substitute for some other drinks
in common use. 1t is not so irritating
to the stomach as cider; it does not
create ascidity like the sweetened
col dials called domestic wine it is
not so bloating and stupefying in iss
effects as lager beer, ale and porter; it
is not so highly alcoholic as to pro-
duce intoxication when taken in any
moderate quantity it is not so dis
turbing to the nervous system and the
liver (the bile) as coffee and it is not
perhaps more depressing in its action
when used immoderately, than strong
tea.
Wine of this character has been
made very successfully in Central
Ohio and Missouri, in some of the
Southern States, in Central America
and California. The light wines of
California have lately been much
praised. But these wines have not
yet been very commonly employed by
the American people as beverage
Occasionally we see them placed on
the wine lists of our hotels, and the
sign "Catawba Cobblers," we have
noticed, has become quite common in
the fashionable bar rooms. But the
people still adhere to their fiery and
poisonous alcohilic drinks, to bad
whisky, adulterated and manufactured
brandy and drugged beer, and neglect
the pure juice of the grape to q great
extent.
There can be no question that the
health and happiness of mankind
would be greatly promoted if they
would discard the use of any kind of
wine (Which must, of course, contain
certain amount Of alcohol to consti-
tute it wine) as a daily drink or bevr
erage. Some persons, indeed, are so
unhappily organized, that they cannot
take the smallest quantity Of alcoholic
wine or liquor into the stomach with>
out the most certain destruction of
their health and happiness. But still
wine, brandy, &C., are often rsed d,
medicines, and are much emp Ioyed al
the present time in our mill tary hos.
pitals as stimulants and there are
many persons who can r.se any and al
of these alcoholic liqrids pretty freely
for years without very injurious con
sequences. Mankind, in fact, seen
perversely determined to stimulate
and narcOtize themselves, the worlC
over, and it may be the part of wis
dom to induce them to use the least
destructive forms Of stimulation -
Hence, it may be advisable to extend
the manufacture of light Ameri cal
wines of the character before alludet
to, and to exert our influence to in.
troduce them into common use as ;
: beverage in place of the alcoholic Ii
, quors, ale and beer, now so universal
; ly and largely consumed in this coun
Try. As an additional argument t.
7 this point, it may be stated that mos
; of the beer and ale now made in tn,
. United States has large quantity o
r cheap, and often bad whisky added t.
each cask IN ordar 10 iynrart to Fbos,