The Placer herald., 1867-01-26
California Wine in the East

The New York Shipping List Of recent
date, has lengthy article on wine in the
aggregate, and mentions California wine in
particular. We make short extract:
zone of the greatest drawback to the
progress of the California Wine interest has
been adulteratioD; not by producers, but in
our Eastern markets. The chief complaint
is that there is too much spirit in the Cali
tornia Wines. AS consequence, any expert
rectiiier can manufacture California Vine
-so-caled-out of the impure and villain.
Gus compounds embraced within the category
of cheap foreign Wines. This it is said, i,
has been done in New York and other east
ern cities to an extent that is becoming alb
soIutely ruinous to California interests. The
Wine growers Of California propose to or
ganize a permanent State Association, for
the better representation of their interests,
both in California and throughout the At
lantic States, and the prevention of fraud
upon their Wines. If they succeed we may
hope for much more rapid development Of
an interest scarcely second to any other in
our young aud wealthy sister State Of the
Pacific.
If we take 100000 Of vines as the pref
sent number, when they shall all come to
the age of say three to five years, according
to the usual mode Of computation. Proba-
bly, in three years from this time this amount
will be produced. A great advantage in
the culture of vines is, that the older they
grow the more they will yield. And if the
prospects of the vine shall be as favorable
for the next five years as they have been ia
the past five, 100, 100000 is thought not to
be an extravagant estimate of the nnmber Of
vines in the State in 1870. In France they
have 6,25O,00O acres in vineyards, which at
600 to the acre, would be 5O,oOO,00O Of
vines And what is there to prevent Cali
fornla reaching the products Of France, be
fore the close of the present century?
France and German Wine countries are said
to produce l75 gallons to the acre, and Italy,
under the best circumstances about 400;
while California will produce 1000. There
are in California 2O,0OO,OOO acres of land
suitable TO the growth of the vine-covering
territory extending the whole length Of the
State, about 600 miles north and south,
about 100 mile in breadth, lying just back
OF the coast range of mountains that skirt
tuo dCluC SuOItS Vi tndL Cldt6 rom CDe
borders of Mexico to Oregon. In this broad
range of country, also, the climate is not
exceled by that of any country of Europe
not excepting balmy Spain or sunny Italy
This is the testimony of those who have re-
sided in those countries as we'll as in Cali
fornia; and it is generally conceded, by the
best vinirculturists, who have had expert
ence in vine growing in the old world and
in California, that she has grapes and can
produce them to any extent, that will make
as good quality of Wines as any of the vari'
cites raised in Europe. III it requires is to
select tho best varieties, keep the Wines
pure, and until they have age enough to give
them the requisite body and flavor The
grape crop has never been known to fail in
California, nor to suffer to any extent, from
mildew, or the ordinary diseases, to which it
is subjected in other countries. Nothing,
then, is wanted, in view of all these tlatter-
ing prospects, to make California one of the
most prosperous Wine growing countries in
the world, but capital and enterprise, which,
in due time, can hardly fail to be available" !"