The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-07-10
THE NATIVE WINES OF RocKBR1DGE
AND AUGUSTA.

AMI AudVsAA.
During recent visit to Lexington,
we went out one evening to see the
vineyard of Mr.. PREsTon DAvIDsoS.--
This vineyards some three or four miles
from the town, has a fine exposure on
the side of a very bold hill, from the
summis of which there is magnificent
view of that lofty, broken and gloomy
range of mountains, which separates
Amherst from Rockbridge, and contains
about 1000 vines, newly planted and in
fourisl,ing condition. Mr.. DAVIDSON
Is we'll satisfied with the progress he is
making, and announced to us his inten-
ton of planting in all $4,000 vines.
That night we passed at Col. Louis
DAVIDSON 3, when we we're treated to an
abundance of Catawba wire, one year
old, made by gentleman of the neigh
borhood. Quite party was assembled
on the occasion, and tire Catawba was
voted excellent by all who tried it,
Capt. OLTsMAN of Prussia, who is fainil-
lar with wines of all sorts, declared that
it tasted TO HIM like ssmother's milk. w.
Capt. LEWIS q. of BALTIC. & Ohio r. II.
notoricty, became so INSPIRED by it that
hc opened his varied musical repertoire
and rendered the songs of"Faderland,"
from "rhc Wanderer" down to "B. l.
N. Bin, q. o. 60" in style which de-
lighted hugely the whole party. Truth
to tell, the whole party was in a very
Impossible condition, for the Catawba
was so good that sundry pitchers oft
had disappeared in a twinkling.
A day or two after the visit to Col.
DAviDsoN's, we dined, in company with
many others, at Mr.. TurwILER's. Mr.. L
lives a mile and half from Lexington
upon one of the finest and most COM
plete farms in the councy. He is large
grazier, a cheese maker and a wine
maker. Last year, he sold 5000 lbs. of
cheese ofhis own making at an average
of Is cts. pound. The extent Of his
vineyards We do not know, but as he is
not halfway man in anything, we in
fer that they are by no means of small
dimensions. During the dinner, Mr..
TuTwILER dispensed to his guests claret
and sherry of his own manufacture
Both were pronounced very good, but
the preference was given to the clarct
the sherry being shade too sweet to
suit the palates of those present. The
claret had peculiar and very agreeable
flavor, but both the color and the odour
were identical with those of European
clarets.
Mr.. TurwILKR has employed as his
wIne-maker Mr.. Weiss, who Inns been in
the businessa great many years. abroad
and in Pittsylvania county in this State.
From some conversation we had with
Mr.. WEISS, we infer that success in the
sale of native wines is not SO rapid and
certain as we had been led to believe,
and we mention the fact here in order
to reassure the wine-makers in this part
of the State, should they fail, as may
we'll happen, to dispose of their wines as
readily and at as high prices as they
expect. Ofthe ultimate succt IS ofthe
grape culture in Virginia, Mr.. WEISS
seems to entertain no doubt whatever,
but thinks the taste for wine must be
cultivated and encouraged until the pre-
valent appetite for spirituous liquors is
destroyed utterly.
Mr.. TuTwILER.presented number of
bottles of his claret and sherry to the
managers of the Alumni supper, who
distributed them along the tables. They
were speedily and approvingly disposed
of. Mr.. FULLER of Rockbridge also ex-
bibitcd on the same occasion some ma
tive sherry of his own make, which was
much enjoyed and compared favorably
with the California wines which consti-
tuted the staple of the evenings enter
tainment. The fact is noteworthy, that,
at this Supper, no foreign wines or IL
quors were used-all were American :
and this, doubtless, accounts for the fact
that, while there was abundant merri- I
ment, there was no drunkenness among
the five hundred participants In the
feast.
Happening to mention the subject of q
wines 10 the hearing of Mr..
IsoBERr w. BURKE of Staunton, he ear
ricd us to his store and showed us near
y dozen different kinds of wine which
had been made in Augusta. Among
hem were the Scuppernong, the oose-
berry, the Elderberry, the wine of the l
Pie plant, and some Currant wine made
by Mrs. r. NJ. AYREs. who lives few G
niles from Staunton. We tried the +
currant wine, and never drank a more a
palatable beverage or one better adapt t
I'd to the table, particularly as a wine
Tor ladies. Ne can but believe that the
general moderate use of these domestic
vines would go far to re-establish the
lcaith OF our women, and we feel as .
;ured, from all we saw and heard dur >
ng our visit to the mountains that the ;.
manufacture of native wines in Virgin
a,-for home use and for sale, is destin-
ID to be very rapid, and that the MUIR L
ferrous days of King Whiskey are we'll I
Ugh numbered. 1T