Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-01


classed Bordeaux claret, Sauterne or Bur
J gundy We selected however, the bes
! of the kinds to be found in San Francisco
goods selling at from So TO $50 per cas-,
/ French vines, such as no doubt regalt
the senses of our wealthy citizens-and
kept the records, but destroyed the falst
labels, marking what was labeled "Cha
teau Youem as Haut-Sauternes, ano
Chateau Laiitte" as Superior Medoc
which grades, ut least, they should
have been, judged by the prices
Although these high-priced goods had
been in bottle for a long time, they
suffered in comparison with some of the
choicest samples from experimental wines
taken direct from the cask. and not exceed.
ing two years old. A Haut Sauterne from
the bon ton grocery of San Francisco, sold
at Sl6 per case, was found to be good.
tasting but highly and artificialiy favored
common wine, such as no vine grower here
could sell by the barrel TO the trade fol
more than sixty cents per gallon, and
which might be easily initiated by any
skillful compounder. 4 Chateau YQuem.
which we relabelled Haut-Sauterne, but
which was the best to be found in q
leading importing house, was found to be
true to Sauterne character, but devoid Of
fineness and showing evident traces of doc
toring.
1t happened that we had on exhibition a
sample OF an experimental vintage OF
Semillon lone of the true Sauterne va
rieties), from H. w. Crabb of Oakyille
Napa county. This wine was bottled few
days before the Convention, and could
show 10 bouquet from bottling, but was
pronounced very good" and passed along
the line. Last week we discovered a bottle
OF this Semilion wine among the relics or
debris of the Convention that had been
stored away (now year in bottle), and
fortunately also similar samples OF the high
priced imported articles referred to. I'VE
took the opportunity to have them all test
ed fairly, and the judgment in each case
was that the imported wines were actually
very common, and in one case even in
ferior, while Mr.. Crabb's Semillon was by
each faster pronounced fine wine
This incident is not quoted to show that
California wines may be superior to the
French, but to explain how difficult it is to
form standards of critical taste in a market
where inferior foreign importations pass
tor !" line wines. l predict that in three
to I'VE years from to-day critical American
paiates will know an undreamed of enthu-
siasm, when they have the good fortune to
secure such wines as will be made here
from the vineyards now beginning to pre-
duce, and from which we have seen the
first experimental samples. When that e.
suit is achieved we shall see whether the
wealthy men of this country are not will
ing to pay high prices for native wines of
high class. Heretofore the market has been
played with labels and impostures. In
future the American will be a fool, and not
dupe, II he continues to be deceived
IT Is A COMMON NOTION
That our people are lacking in taste, and
that they will not discriminate enough to
render it profitable to attempt the Careful
nursing of fine wines from light bearing
varieties of noble vines. 1t is. popular to
say that the taste for fine wine must be
cultivated, and this saving is apparently
justified by the disputes that so often arise
over bottle of wine when being tasted
The American, who has had little or no
opportunity to know what truelv fine wine
Is, imagines that if there can be so much
dispute among wine drinkers he could not
pretend, with his experience, to form a
correct judgment The mistake is in sup
posing that fine wines need dissection, or
that true beauty is not self-assertive, or
that it requires intellectual rather than per-
ceptive recognition. Experts may quarrel
over delicate shades of difference in fine
wines, but the unprofessional consumer
will never doubt the real quality when
presented to him. The reputation of wines
does not rest on expert testimony, but upon
popularity among consumers, after which
the expert may attempt by exaggeration to
magnify single elements of beauty into
commercial distinctions of profit In all
our conventions | have observed that the
most inexperienced persons have invari-
| ably commended with positive promptness
all samples of truly superior wines the
disputes as TO taste have arisen over ordi-
nary and inferior products, where the effort
has been to reconcile the palate to some
impression not quite agreeable, and which
they must get educated to. For Instance
many stout-livered producers insist on
trying to make the American palate APP
prove wines acidulated from unripe grapes
proclaiming their own preference for the
same; but for all their preaching
about educating taste, the delicate
palate of the American woman can
never be induced to accept such
beverages, and without her consent
this will never be a great wine-consuming
country. / have frequently seen the con
trary effect from frequent tasting of real
good wines made after great care has been
taken in the vintage, and am sure that
when our wine-makers consult refined and
delicate palates- using all care in satisfying
them-they will find it impossible to reach
over-production. On the contrary, they will
find a greater demand for wine than there
is for beer, which is now consumed to the
extent of five hundred million gallons an,
nuaily throughout orr country.
ovER-PRoDUCTIoN
During the next few years may be Temporal
| rily encountered if SO, it will be the fault
OF imperfection in fermentation and cellar
care, inferior varieties of vines, bad loca
tons for planting, careless picking, and
| immaturity of goods offered for sale. Ne
cessity and experience will cure these de.
| fects rapidly, and distillation will be tht
| safety-valve. Already there is a marked
demand for fine varieties to graft upon in
ferlor stocks, and this alone may WORK
quite a revolution in our prospects in two
years time.
There must be change made in the
| method OF gathering grapes, especially o.
varieties which often bear second crop O.
unripe grapes while the first is ready to fer.
ment. Contracting to pick by the ton and
! selling to wineries, which cannot supervise
the field work, must by necessity be re
formed. In the meanwhile, however, nc
other industry shows so many opportuni-
| ties for tiding over" hard times. Under
the Worst circumstances, resulting from in.
experience and lack of facilities, and
| capital, an average crop of ordinary grapes
will pay through distillation at least the
| cost of production, which is a far better
showing than grain growing can make dur.
ing its seasons of drought. While there will
probably be some who will be forced tc
make shifts during the next few years
| owing to understands of cost of devel.
opment, and pressure of debts, there will
those w n al MI.
must stake their properties firmly and who
| will, by individual or associated capital
organize for carrying stocks and providing
agencies for increasing markets Our Com.
mission has repeatedly cautioned the pub
lie against planting inferior varieties O.
vines, and urged them to prepare for sui
ficient cellar facilities. The vintage of 1885,
Will enforce these recommendations, anC
those who have had foresight will not bt
caught mapping. 1t cannot be expected
however, that rapid and irregular increas,
,oN.1 l.