New-York tribune., 1869-02-27

prOnOunced by authorltles unuIlnkhple, oelnB
for the most part spoiled in the making. The
Neapoltan wines undergo change at the hands
of the doctors before they arrive at Naples. The
yintages of the ROmagna are not improved by
the "personal supeTintendencen of the propri4
etors. The classic Falernian is no more, The
Greek wine is introduced into the market be-
fore it is matured. The best Spanish wine
comes to town in pig-skin Jars that give it q
vile flavor. .iI.u. .1l l0l.1 81
This is European experience. What then
must ours beG The Imagination is alone capa-
BILE of doing Justice to it. A rich Spanish VINE
recently much in vogue in high circles, as an
admirable elixir for invalids, by whatever
ailment afflicted, was declared by an old span
ish wine merchant to be miserable article,
composed of refuse and rotten skins boiled
down for the cheapest market, and much more
calculated TO make well people SICK than 70
mako Sick neopIe we'll. The trial in New Orleans
of snits brought by the United States against
certain importers of foreign wines, who were
occused of invoicing their goods below actual
value IN order to escape the payment Oh lull
duties has brought out some interesting infor-
nation on this subject. One OF the witnesses,
m importer Of long standing, testified 70 the
cheapness Of the wines sent to this country,
and said that not bottle Of genuine Lahtte
or Chateau Margeaux ever came here from
France. Another gentleman, a wine merchant
of experience, declared the grandly labeled
cases under consideration to be ungenuine.
The vino was manufactured article, made
of the eommopest Vintage-lees at that coloreu
by some heavy red juice that was thrown u,
The brands were put on to catch the eye
of purchasers. The generous blood OF the
" "grapeD remained at home Some oil these
de6octions cost no more than 81 so per hogs-
head, the labels all the time inviting the
purchaser to pay a dollar or more per Doltie'
Until we can be satisfied that we are drinking
pure wine, it is useless to undertake 10 say
what the effect Of drinking pure vine mlgho
be. They that look to the increase OF the
native vineyards for diminution OF drunken
ness. as well as they who depreeate tho
increase of native vineyards as a cause Oh
drunkenness, must be content TO walt
further Developments. And they must
wait good while. Tho vine comes
TO IFS maturity slowly It's youth is crude and
heavy; its quality undetermined, its body weak,
its substance disturbed. Twenty one years, the
iudges tell us, arc required to bring 1t up TO
full age. Then it proves its virtue by lts
character. Then It is friendly to man; then 1t
is the creature the poets sing of, and the
physicians praise, and the moralsts wink at;
thing to make the well better, and the sick
WE'LL a cordial, joyous, cheering, invigoratlng
creature, that can hurt nobody. IL there Is
any truth in this statement, even they who
drink the wines Of Ohio and California do not
drink wine in the real true sense of the phrase;
nor can they DO reckoned competent to pro-
nounce on the good or the i'll effects of the
native vine culture. Ten years hence an
opinion on this subject may be formed by the
few who are able to indulge in the very
expensive luxury. 1t viii be long, long time
vet before the native wines are cheap enough
to be drunk by the people. Probably they
never will be cheap enough. The common
people who drink hardest, who swell the ranks
OF the inebriates, and make ntemperance to
be the problem it is, will drink such as they
can get for their coarse paatos. Thus the
ouestiop. "Will the Coming Man drink wine ="
!. left for answer TO the very small number OF
people who can afford to answer it, The
Coming Man will not drink what the present
man drinks, we hope. Perhaps he will drink
pure wine, if such thing is to be had and
much good may it do him