Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-06-15
The Wine crop.


The Wine Crop.
The false and pernicious report set
forth in yesterdays Times, that there
were 1900, 900 gallons Of wine in this
county, and the trade was very light,
created disgust and indignation among
the wine manufacturers of Los Angeles
city and county. On inquiry OF the
largest manufacturers Of wine in the
county, we find that there are not over
100, 900 gallons Of wine on the market in
this county, and not million gallons in
the whole State. This is from men who
know, and not from men who know
nothing about the matter, but are dill
gently engaged in trying to ruin every
body who is raising grapes without
facilities for making wine.
As the HERALD stated Yesterday, the
wine trade is steady, and the stock is
very light. The market was never in
better condition than it is to-day. The
market is extending oil the time. the
quality is improving continually, and
the makers are satisfied with the present
outlook of affairs. and willing to pay
good prices to our farmers for their
grapes. The wine makers are indignant
at that journal for attempting to set
. price which they shall pay for grapes.
They inform the HERALD that they shall
pay all they can afford to do for grapes
this Fall, without having prohibition
organ prescribe to them the price which
they shall pay for their stock.
They might as well tell the merchant
what he shall pay for his goods, or the
manufacturer what he shall give for
wool and cotton. These things regulate
themselves, without the aid and advice
of outsiders. If prohibition organ
attempts to make the price of grapes
40 per cent below last year, in order to
break up the business Of grape growing,
the grape grower has IN equal right to
dictate reduction Of 40 per cent in the
price of subscription. and advertising in
the columns of our contemporary.
Our contemporary attempts to bolster
up its false and foolish statement by a
caution published long ago iu these
columns, from Mr.. l.. ]. Rose, against
planting wine grapes too rapidly. But
since that caution was published, the
phylloxera has ruined millions Of vines
in France, Italy and Spain, so that the
expectation of wine from those countries
has greatly diminished, making large
opening for an increased product Of
American wine and brandy. Besides,
our wine dealers give as q result Of their
experience, that the trade in California
wines is growing all the time. That is
the report of Msssrs, Z. Martin & Co.,
Keifer 4 Co., M. Levy 4 Co., Mesuager 4
Co., Fl. J. Woolacott and others in the
wholesale trade in California wines.
A very significant fact is given by Mr..
Woollacott: While two Years ago he
sold three casks of imported port wine
to one CT California manufacture, he
now sells twenty casks of California to
ons of the imported article.
Th prohibition organ says:
A few years ago potatoes were 30
cheap that they would not pay for dig
ging, sacking and freight, and the fact
was mentioned by newspapers all over
the State. At times, the wheat and
barley crops have failed, and the facts
have been frankly Doted, and there was
no protest against these truthful publi-
cations. But il seems that there is q
divinity that doth hedge the grape and
wine interests, and it is sacrilege TO
place the plain facts before the readers
Of the Times. A concealinent of the
facts will not help the sale of grapes or
the demand for California wines one
iota.
The HERALD is guided only by the
facts in this matter. When potatoes
and barley were cheap it was because
there was no railway to the mining
region. When grapes were cheap, our
wine was not as well known or as good
as it is now, there were no interior mar
kets accessible by railway, and foreign
wines were more plentiful and purer
than now. Since that period all the
circumstances have changed. There is
no concealment on the part of the
HERALD, but plain statement of facts,
and the facts clearly indicate that the
Tim IS statement is false in every par
ticular.
Mr.. l.. j. Rose assures us that
there are not 1000 gallons of wine
in manufacturers hands in this
county ready for market, and that the
statement of the Times that there were
2, ,00O, 600 gallons now in this county is
wild statement. He furthermore says
there are not 1000, 900 gallons in the
whole State of marketable wine. The
Times appears as bear in the grape
market four mouths before grapes are
fit for wine-making. 1t may discover
that it has been q little too previous.
There is the consumption Of year ahead
before the new crop of wine will be fit
for market. and in that time but little
will be left unsold of good California
wines. The demand increases every day.
Our pure wines are finding their way
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