Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-28
FACTS ABOUT WINES.
California Native Wines Versus
French Imported wines.

California Native Wines Versus
French Imported wines.
He was wise and level-headed man
in his day and generation who gave t.
the world that good old axiom: In thu
moderate use of pure vines lies temper
ance aud health" Indeed, the value o
pure wines cannot be overestimated
That it is difficult, however, 10 secure
absolutely pure and uuadulterated wines
is well.known. The public, however, II
to blame for this, owing TO an apparent
Willingness to pay high prices for coarse
and adulterated foreign brands in pref
erance to buying pure and richer havoreo
domestic brands at a less price. Ihers
was, no doubt, some excuse Tor TINS ois
elimination previous to the introduction
of the wines grown in the perpetual sun
4 kissed valleys of lower California, lo'
without intending to invite invidlou'
comparison, special attention is olrectee
to the fact that all other natiVe WINES
and many imported, as well, are lacking
in BODY. and are more or less artilcialiy
grown by the "fortifying" process. Bu
whoever buys the coarse and Havorless
higher priced foreign wines to-day IN
preference to the purer and richer hiv
Ored California wines is either inexcusa
bly ignorant on the much ventilated sub
iect IN general, or cares more for the
label on the bottle than the wine itself,
and therefore argues himself incompetent
to Judge the quality OF the article.
lis weIl.known that owing to the
repeated failures of the wine crop OF
France siuee 1875 there is not enough
genuine champagne grown there to sup.
ply France alone, and yet thousands OF
cases of so.called champagne are i'm
ported into this country annually. If,
therefore. there is not enough of wine
grown there to supply the country with
champagne, what must be the quality OF
still wines France exports. French
grape brandy is a fiction. too, for the
repeated failures OF the wine crop has
led the French to make brandy from
prunes, figs and other similar fruits. 1t
is not SO generally known, perhaps, that
there is not enough Madeira wine grown
on the little island of Madeira to supply
the home consumption. There is this
much, however, to be said i'll favor OF
considerable of the foreign champagne
sold in this country, and that is that it
Is mostly made from wines grown In
California. On the contrary, but very
little of the foreign brands of still wines
imported into this country is much bet
ter than SO much still.house slop, and
much of it is positively injurious.
While California wines are growing
more and more in favor every year, 1t
is lamentable fact that there is consid.
cradle so called California wine sold by
unscrupulous dealers that was never
grown on the Pacific slope, and much
that was grown there is doctored and
drugged to suit the tastes OF
those long used to the coarse,
!, favorless, adulterated foreign brands.
On this account lovers of good, pure
wines and connoisseurs here, who drink
the wine and not the label, are to be
congratulated upon the tact that many
houses among the well-known whole.
sale dealers in California fruits, are
also engaged in the handling OF Califor-
MIA wines. For they have fully satisfied
the public and especially the medical
fraternity that they will handle none
but absolutely pure and unadulterated
goods, and have pretty thoroughly con-
vinced the intelligent wine drinking
public that genuine California wines are
far superior to imported brands of the
same age, and can be had at lower
prices. When the firms established their
wine cellar at 65 Prospect street last
spring, they admitted no wines less
than three years old, and will not allow
any under that age in the establishment,
while their standing offer to forfeit $40
on any single gallon of their goods to any
one who will demonstrate by analysis
that they are not the pure juice OF the
grape. and the fact of their refusal to
take out compounders' license is suffl'
cient evidence of their absolute purity.
&heir stock includes choice vintages OF
the delicious and healthful sweet wines
of California, such as three and six
year. old port, sherry. angelica, inuscat
and to.kay, noted for their full, rich
BODY, flavor and invigorating qualities.
A noble feature of these wines and
which, in fact, is true of all California
wines, is the fact that, unlike Imported
wines, they require no foreign matter to
give them proper color. Foreign port
wine, for instance, is largely colored
with extract of logwood, a dangerous
poison, whereas California port gets its
coloring matter from the skin of
the grape alone. Their stock of
dry wines includes equally choice
vintagcs of Burgundy, Zinfandel,
claret, Reisling and Gutadel, aud genu-
inc California grape brandy which Is
particularly noted for its mild, mellow
and delicious flavor. The pure Califor-
mia :. ..les handled by these noted deal.
ers have received the highest indorse-
ment of number Of our leading physi-
clans, including such well known ones
as Gustav C. 4. Weber, Ii. w. Kitchen,
s. A. Boynton, C. B. and w. ii. Hum
iston, Ii. F. Biggar. H. ]. Herrick and
N, M. Jones. The California wines, as
is we'll known, were originally grown by
the Jesuits. who established missions
there many years ago, and they Are
therefore in high favor as altar wines.
1t is unnecessary to mention prices OF
the different sweet and dry wines ham
died bv the houses further than to add
that in order to introduce them and give
everybody an opportunity to learn the
superior qualities good California wine !.
possess over any other grown, most
of them continue to offer them
at much less than the actual value OF
!, wines of the same age and quality ougnt
NO bring. AS their stock at present Is
extensive it offers unsurpassed facilities
for stocking up private wine cellars, and
special attention is paid to advising
those who wish to procure fine lots OF
wine with view to laying up for ageing
for private use. A gratifying feature OF
the wine trade Of to-day, due to the In
PRODUCTION OF tine California wines, is
the fact that an intelligent public is rap
idly coming to the conclusion that 6
man is not of necessity Judge of wine
because he happens to be born abroad
aud is able, with much volubility, to tel
ali he don't know about it.-Clevelant
Journal.
! n1nHINN 90 WION nv MACHINERY