The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1885-08-27
Paid to Sample Wine.
Chicago News.
Did YOU ever meet vine sampler?"


Did you ever meet wine sampler?"
inquired South Water street liquor
merchant of Daily News reporter.
''Allow me to introduce my friend,
Count Friedrich Won Linden" In an
ensuing conversat on the Count gave
some incidents of his life and occupa-
ton. Born of Dutch parents, in Hol-
land, he went with them to Germany.
HIS father and his fathers father were
wine merchants.
Il am called count but am not a
count" he said. ''Why 1 am called
count don't know, unless it is be-
cause I make my money easily. spend
it freely. and drink a good deal of
wine. l think can tell the brand of
any wine in the market by its taste. l
believe it to be an inherited taste, and
when I discovered my accomrl shment,
with Dutch thr;ftiness I turned it to
pecuniary account. shall soo1 start
on my third trip to South America.
My last trip was for a firm in South
William street New York. They buy
a good deal of Spanish and French
wines, some Italian vintage, and some
German. sailed to Colon and went
by rail to Panama, thence to San Josi,
Costa Rica; thence to La Libertad,
thence to St. Anna, small country
village in Honduras; back again to
San JOSH and Panama, then to Callao,
to Santiago, to Valpara: so, to St. Juli-
enne, 5000 miles from Valpara SO;
thence to Montevideo, La Plata; to
Para, Brazil; to St. Thomas. Porto
Rico; to Kingston, jana ca; to Man
tanzas, and to Havana. l was n'ne-
teen weeks on the trip, and my salary
was $11 per day and expenses. The
first place I visited was for clarets. OF
course, they all had to be sampled by
tasting. In the Argentine confedera-
ton 1 only bought white wines-wh:te
and thick, like thin syrup-sweet, but,
at the same time, strong. It costs 80
cents gallon. Put up in fancy bot
ties like moraschino, it sells over the
bar in New York for 25 cents pony
As to clarets, there is really only one
kind in South America. but it is the
best in the world-black and heavy.
It costs Al centimes per gallon, and
when mixed in New York one gallon
will make three. and it is sold for
So per bottle, or Is cents a glass
over the bar. It is much better than
French claret-the latter is too light.
forgot to mention that five days of
my time was consumed by laying i
at Valparaiso. 1 became overheated
with wine, and the faculty of acute
taste passed from me. Th's often hap
pens in hot climates when the sampl ng
continues for some time. My visit to
St. Thomas and Kingston was for rum,
but this did not have to taste. The
brands are pretty rel able. At Man
tanzas I purchased sugar-brovn
sugar, in hogsheads-and at Havana
l bought cigars. These last two ven
lures were speculat ons of my own,
for another New York firm. and they
Melted me considerable extra moneE.
tell you this because I have left the
employ of the South William street
firm. They defaulted on contract
with me. There is one Wine country 1
have never visited, and that is Cal1for-
MIA, and I am going there after one
more trip. From what l hear of the
soil and climate, and have seen of the
wine product, believe much finer
wines than the present common native
can be grown there. l have friends
who are wiling to invest in vineyards
with me, and we are gong to try it,
with my experience and after an i'm
,,rovod r,roooSS If INV own :,