Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-05-07
FOREIGN ADULrERATIoN.

recently peeu Niuciy uioSueScu, anu "HiA0
the American press has not been backward
in condemniug such frauds whenever the
| proof of them was clear, the foreign press
has put on such an appearance OF horror
over the revelations that only unsophis-
| ticated observers might conclude adulter-
alton to be absolutely unknown beyond
the confines of the United States. 1t Is,
however, a melancholy truth that the
average of the worlds honesty is the same
everywhere, and that the people OF Europe
are no whit less disposed than the Yankees
to get the better of their customers by
hook or by crook. The most recent demon
stration OF this fact is to be found in the
ayidity with which the French VINE
makers have plunged into the business OF
adulteration, as desperate remedy for the
destruction of their vineyards by the phyI-
lorera. 1t is, moreover, very necessary
that the truth about French wines should
be made known, seeing that Americans
have for long time been accustomed to
believe that the only wines fit to drink
were imported vintages. As California is
evidently destined to be great wine-
growing country, provided that our viii
culturists can protect themselves against
the phyElorerd, it is also important that
the facts should be stated concerning the
present effort of the French to prevent the
natural substitution Of California vintages
for their own by a gigantic and utterly
reckless system of fraud.
The truth is that France mas ceased to
produce any wine for expectation. Her
vineyards are ruined, and whether or not
they may be restored in the future it is
certain that they 10 longer furnish the
means of supplying the heavy demands
which were formerly made upon them.
The French wine trade, however, was far
too extensive an interest to be abandoned
without a struggle, and since the phyl-
lorera made it impossible to furnish genu.
inc wines, it has been sought to FIJI the
gap with spurious concoctions. The proof
of the extent to which adulteration is now
carried in France resides in the statistics
of her imports and exports. In 1879 the
annual production of French wine was
400, 000, GOO gallons. In 1879 it had
fallen to 6S0,000, 600. But though the
production has thus declined there has
been no reduction in the quantity sold
abroad, and why this is so the following
imported into France were valued at ST.
600, 900. In 1879 this item had risen to
S2l, 074, 600, being an increase of s20,.
600, 600 in nine years. In 1879 Bordeaux
imported from Spain 27,000,0 600 gallons
of wine; and in 1880 81, 900, 900. From
Turkey, Italy, Portugal and Austria large
quantities of crude wines are now i'm
ported. 1t is none of it fit TO drink, and
it is all used in the manufacture of the
wines which are subsequently exported as
" fine French wines"
The crude foreign wines are mixed, doc
tored, favored, watered, and then sent
abroad under French labels. A Paris pa
per tells how the supply has been kept up
notwithstanding the destruction of the
vineyards, in other ways. Since adultera-
ton was resorted to the business of making
sham wines has be come SO lucrative that
great competition has arisen in the trade,
with the inevitable result of forcing the
manufacturers to cheaper and still cheaper
processes. At first raisins were used, but
! these had to be abandoned, and we are told
| that "wine is now manufactured out OF
"glucoze, a sugary matter obtained from
"the potato, out of the residue of mo.
"lasses, out of rotten apples, dried prunes,
dates, figs, and all kinds of refuse fruits,
and even out Of beetroots. These abom-
Unable liquids are colored artifcially and
mixed more or less with Spanish wines
cor white wine. . The imposture
" has now reached such a pitch that not
"one-third of the wine now drank in
Paris is real grape wine" 1t is the same
with modern French brandy. That spirit
is nowadays made from sugar, potatoes,
Indian corn, and barley whisky. In fact
the French wine and spirit trade has in
short time degenerated into ore vast
swindlipg concern, of which the victims
are all who buy what go by the name
OF French vintages.
When we reflect that here in California
there is already produced an abundant
supply of sound pure wines, which are sup
nevertheless nine. tenths of the community
who drink wine at all still prefer the doc
tored productions of "France, merely be-
cause they have foreign labels, it becomes
evident that humbug remains one of
the most powerful influences in our civil
zation. No Californian need be poisoned
with French sham wines, but our vine
growers still find their best market in
France, and have the sad satisfaction of
knowing that the sound wines they sell
will come back here doctored out of
knowledge, and will then be paid
high prices for by rich men who
think they are showing their knowledge of
the world and their appreciation of good
living by putting these denominations on
their table. Certainly time has come
when Cslifornians ought to realize the alb
surdity and great stupidity of going abroad
for their wines. At present they may be
perfectly sure that no French wine they
can buy will be fit to drink, seeing that
every drop of the diminished genuine pro-
duction of that country is either snapped
up in Europe or used to mix with bad
Spanish or Hungarian brands for exporta-
ton. This French situation in fact ought
to be the opportunity of our yiticulturists,
hut n 10 SCARCELY reaaonab la IN avnact +b,+