The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-10-01
a Vineyard Near Columbid.

One OF the most amOlll0us vineyards
in the State is located about three miles
from Columbia, and although people
here know little abodt It's extent or its
methods they drink good deal Of its
wine-some quite unconsciously.
MIR. E. M. Stoeber is the proprietor.
Ten years ago he planned nearly twenty
five acres of his farm on the Monticello
road in scuppernong grapes. Since then
he has added few other scuppernongs
and some Thomas and Flowers vines.
The average of vines to the acre is 40,
mailing 1925 in all. They are now in
full bearing and make a curious show as
thev spread widely over the broad trellis-
es for so many acres. The land is decid.
edly sandy and naturally poor, being
capable only of producing from eight to
ten bushels of corn per acre.
Mr.. Stocber was only specifically
acquainted with the wine industry when
he left Austria, but studied its theory
and experimental in its practice after his
settlement in this State. He planted his
vines and then proceeded to see how best
thew could be utilized. In this intelli'
gent experimenting he has hit upon some
interesting and think valuable results.
arm not sufficiently acquainted with the
technicalitics of the business to be able
to Btate how he makes the scuppernong
produce half dozen wines Of various
types; but l have seen his works, have
been told his me:hods-and they are
simple enough, and genuine enough to
satialy anybody-and have tested his
results.
M.y conclusions is that the acuppernong
will produce almost any kind Of wine of
good quality and at small expense. In
three years he makes Rhine wine very
closely resembling Barsac but although
the quality is excellent and the wine is
sole by several Columbia houses as the
imported article, Mr.. Stoeber thinks that
the scuppernong is less suited to the
making of Rhine wine than to other pur-
poses This wine is made without sugar
and retails at 81 25 gallon. Mr.. S!oe-
Der also makes sweet scuppernong wine
which, three years old, sells at from LIS
to Il so gallon.
The best product of his vineyard is,
however, G sherry, which, while it lacks
the slightly acrid-and, I believe, artif.
cial-twang of the sherries which are
most popular, is capital wine with
delightful bouquet. He does not sell any
which is less than three years old, but the
oldest he has-yintage of 1S79-is q
genuine sherry. This wine becomes
"dry" with age, and at eight years, [
suppose, would be enough so to suit any
one. 1t retails at $3.50 gallon.
From his scuppernong wine of last
years vintage Mr.. Stoeber proposes to
make in two years more champagne as
good as any produced in this country.
The wine already has the champagne
bouquet and promises we'll. All of these
wines are made without the use Of the
hulls for coloring or favoring. A Thorn.
as wine of claret color and with very
fruity and Catching" favor is given its
tint by the skins.
The vineyard was formed in 1875. In
1879 it produced about $50 gallons of
wire and in 1880 about 600. The vines
were in full bearing in 1883 when the
product reached 5000 gallons. Last
year the crop was small, but this season
the make will be over 5000 gallons.
Nfr. Stoeber's works are very simple.
He has wine press with capacity of
five barrels day, and cellar 80 by IL
feet but he uses, also, Heitschs cellar in
Columbia. The harvest proper will
begin tomorrow, and will last three
weeks, from sixteen to twenty hands
being employed to pick the grapes.
Early in the season the picking is done
by hand, and the grapes are retailed
largely in Columbia at five cents quart,
but when the press begins to work the
ripe grapes are shaken into sheets which
are placed under The vines.
This vineyard, set in the sandy soil OF
upper Richland, will be worth small
fortune when its product is better known
and is aged to full ripeness. Yet, as l
have said, it could not produce even M
average crop of corn.
There is, of course, a great deal in the
methods employed, but these can be
copied by any intelligent wine grower
vita turn for experiment. The vine
yard is decided success, and it adds
another argument to the old series in
favor of diversified industry. Correpon'
dence Of the Ne,0s and Courier.