The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1882-09-01

IMPURE FRENcu Washing.
ton, Aug. 18.-Consul Glover, Of Havre, in
the last volume of consular reports says,
respecting French wines aud braudics:
1T is very difficult to arrive at q just
conclusion in regard to the amount of falls
flied wines and liquors shipped from this
consular district t. the Uuitcd States. Nv
opinion Is, however, that a very large per-
centage of such products is either adulter-
atcd by the introduction OF deletcrious drugs
or the mixing OLA low grade of Spanish
wines. While am hardly prepared to say
that such Justification would call for absolute
prohibition of Importation in the outside
States, | am not sure that our government
would not be justified in instilutinga a rigid
inspection of all wines and brandies exported
To ih -A1....,i-. .-u------------- u
Consul Clifford, Of La Rochelln rs;tas ON
the subject of brandy:
"No considerable quantity ofwiac is being
exported 20 the United States, the La Ro-
chelle district. My inquiries have been
wholly confined to the quality of the brandy
produced in this region, whence nearly the
entire supply of our country is drawn.
In the year 1881 the export Of brandy
from France to the United States was of the
declared value of 81 ,1O1 ,S5l, was shipped
from this district, chiefly from the town Of
Cognac. The production ofgenuine brandy
from the white wine of the country has
substantially ceased on account of the fail
IRE of the vine. In a trip for personal OBJ
scrvatiou through the Grand Champagne
region of the Department Of Chcarcnte l was
unable to find a single vineyard. The de-
struc,ion caused by phylloxcrl is complete,
and not u barrel Of wine will be made this
year. In this famous wiuc country the av-
crage annual reduction Of wine was form
criy 10000 900 gallons in the two departs
mcnts.
"For the past three years it has fallen to
less than onethird Of its former average,
and in the cognac region it has ceased =
Ihe.production of genuine brandy has di-
minlshed in much larger proportion. The
greater part of the brandy of to day is pre-
pared from alcohol obtained from grain,
potatoes or bccts. 4 simple process of
reduction and admixture of drugs, little
rure brandy or dre5s Of wine to give the
brandy taste and the color Of the wood,
ordinarily suffice, with the brand Of cognac,
to create beverage which fluids ready sale
in foreign countries. 1t is becoming the
custom to sell this brandy in twelve bottle
Case, marked with one, two or three stars,
according to the presumed quality of the ar,
Iicie, thus avoiding any compromising men.
tioA Of the yc,r Of production or region of
origin. Some merchants, or rather manu-
facturcrs. after properly mixing the ingre-
dents, pass the whole through the still
Others import the small raisins from the
East and obtain a beverag, called brandy
from their juice-at least one such establish.
ment being in operation at Cognac. All
French brandy might properly, and perhaps
ought to be, excluded from the United States
on sanitary grounds. There is a strong
presumptive against the purity of very
large. part of it, and it is unfortunately al
most impossible to detect the fraud by chem
ical analysis, especially where the various
mixtures now employed are passed through
the STILL"