Nebraska advertiser., 1868-08-27
being duly 0
CuIfure or the vine An EurOpe,

The United States Commission at
the Universal Exposition of Paris in
1867 appointed a committee, composed
of Marshall p. Wilder, Alexander,
TOmpson, William j. Flagg, and
Patrick Barry, to repoTtOn the culture
and products of the vine. The report
is given in the monthly publication of
the Department of Agriculture, but
with some typographical errors cor
rect we give the report almOstentire as
weconsiderit OF greatvalue. Although
the committee embraced fOurmembers,
we believe the main credit of attend
ing to the interests Of our country on
this subject is due to Messrs. Wilder
and Barry, whose knowledge of the
great interest felt by our people in the
culture of the grape induced them to
make extra eXertions and obtain a
special committee for examination
and comparison of our American pro-
ducts with those of other countries.
1.-THE exhibition of wines at the
Universal Exposition of 1867 was
large. Every Wine-growing country
of Europe, as wellas Australia, Canada
California, and other sections of North
and South America, YER represented.
AS there were no jurors from the
United States, our American wines
were not subjected to so full and fair
an examination as they were entitled
TO, and to remedy this omission a spec
ial committee, consisting of the under
signed, was appointed by the Board of
Commissioners to make an examine
ton Of the wines Of our own and other
countries, and to report especially with
reference to wine-making in America.
"As regards French wines, full reli-
ance can not. be placed on what is
furnished to the American traveller at
hotels or cafes, or even what is sold
him at the shops, no matter what
price he pays. 1t would, however, be
doing French wines a great injustice
tojudge them by the qualities sold in
this way, or exported to America.
The great body of American consumers
have palates as yet so unSkiled, and
the merchants of Bordeaux, and fab
ricators and imitators are so adrOit,
that it seems impossible forthe honest
wine maker here to come into such
relations with the wine drinkers there
as shall securetO the latter the benefits
sanitary and moral, which the French
people themselves derive from the
pure juice of the grape so abundantly
produced in this country. 1t is not
an unusual practice for dealers to buy
of producers in the back country a
coarse, deep red wine for 80 cents per
gallon, and a strong white wine for As
cents per gallon, mix and bottle them
and send them abroad labeled with all
the highsOunding names Of MedOc,'
TO sell at enormous profits to unsus-
pecting foreigners
Farther South than Bordeaux, in
the country about Montpelier and
Bezires, an inferior article, but per
fectly pure, can be obtained of the
producer at five and six cents per gal
Ion, or one cent per bottle. OF late
years, and since the abatement of the
grape diseas, the production of France
has been very large, the 1900, 900 of
acres in cultivation yielding and aver
age of 100, 900, 900 Of gallons, which
would give to every man, woman, and
child in the country a half b~Ottle-full
every day, even after allowing 200, 600,
600 of gallons for expectation.
Hungary whose product is second
to that of France only, can supply a
wide range of varieties, and at prices
extremely reasonable. As the Hun
garian producers seem to know, as yet
but little of chemistry, we suppose
their wines to be generally pure.
Besides the sherry, of which we
consume 20 largely, Spain has an
abundant and rich vintage with which
American consumers would be better
acquainted if her merchants had more
of the enterprise of those of Bordeaux.
Portugal also produces plenty of
excellent and pure wines of which we
know little, for hardly a drop is allow
ed to leave the country without being
so strongly branded as to lose its
character as a wine, andbecome rather
a spirituous liquor. Port wine is re-
peatedIy dOsed with spirits until it
contains at least as much as 24per cent
of alcohol. Fifteen years age is re-
ouired before it is fit to drink, not
because the wine is slow to ripen, but
because the spirit needs to remain if
teen e before the disturbance it
can subside and the antagOnistic
ingredients of the mixture harmonic.
Notwithstanding bold. and persis-
tent assertions to the country, 1t has
been satisfactorily pFovento your COM
nittee that the a~dulteration Is made,