Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-08-22
Important Questions Discussed by the
Winemakers.

important Questions Discussed by the
Wine-makers.
SAN Francisco, August 2lst-A meeting
OF the Grape-growers and Wine-makers'
Association of California was held this
forenoon in Irving Hall. In the absence of
the President, l. G. de Turk called the
meeting to order.
A communication was read from j. 3. j.
Portal il regard to the causes of depreci-
ated prices in California grapes and wines,
and 10 submit plan of his own to keep
up values. He said "0ur wines leave the
grower at ruinous figures; the honest mer-
chant that sells them pure gets but small
profit; it is, therefore the retailer that gets
the fat goose and makes the disaster. He
must make from 200 to 500 per cent. profit,
making the most ordinary beverage lux
ury. which, in my opinion, is our first for
midable enemy. would propose for your
consideration to double the consumption in
this State first and then go farther East.
This State consumes nearly 5000. 900 GAL
Ions annually; East, about 100000 annu-
ally, we produce on an average about 15,-
0O0.000 making oul over-production OOO,-
600 annually, which is too much. Our ho-
tells and restaurants, and boarding houses
barely know what our California wine is.
or if they keep any, they keep them at such
figures that ordinary consumers do not use
it at all, who are the very ones that will
make real increase and consumption.
Let a proper committee be selected
and pay them well to canvass San
Francisco. See that all the eating
houses have good, pure wines; grade them:
sell to them low, with conditions that they
shall retail them at such prices that the
masses can have a half-bottle, ordinary, at
a 25-cent meal, etc. Prove to the hotel
keeper thai wine can be put on the table
cheaper than tea, coffee or chocolate. Let
another committee see that the retailers in
turn do the same, and if they refuse to do
so, open cooperative store, and sell native
wines at prices so that the masses can
drink it. and that the grower can have for
himself something to eat. Of course this
costs money and takes time. We have
both of them. 1t costs money to carry On
any enterprise.
NJ. NJ. Estee objected to the statement
made in Mr.. Portals letter to the effect
that 100000 gallons were produced in
this State. He ventured to say that in the
entire State there were not 1 900 900 gallons
of wine under the vintage of 1885,
j. H. Wheeler was of the opinion that
the only way to reduce the over production
was to dry the grapes. This reduction of
the supply would have the effect of raising
prices and by next year everything would
jections to the drying process, Mr.. Wheeler
said he would like to hear of any other
schemes that might be available.
Mr.. Estee related an instance which came
to his notice while in the East recently. He
went into dealers place, who advertised
California wine for sale. He asked for
some of the wine and was astonished to
see the dealer draw it from cask 1t was
California claret without doubt, but Of a
miserable weak quality. The dealer in
formed Mr.. Estee that he had no use for
VINE that he could not keep on tap. Now,
everybody knows that a good quality of
claret cannot be kept il this manner.
While such wine was sold and in demand,
the better qualities were going to suffer.
A gentleman from Sonoma announced
himself in favor of Mr.. Wheeler's idea of
drying grapes to reduce the production.
He said he was sure that as good wine
could be made from dried grapes as from
fresh ones.
Judge Stanley Of Napa assured the meet
ing that the cause of the depreciation was
the great quantity of bad wine on the
market In the East it was impossible to
find any good California wine. The only
really good California wine to be found
there was sold under foreign labels.
G. de Turk took the liberty to address
the meeting from the chair on the subject
under discussion. He said that poor wine
was the great stumbling block in this
State, both to the consumer and grower.
But what shall be done to this poor wine?
he asked. Mr.. de Turk thought he saw
solution of the problem. Drying the
grapes was only temporary relief His
plan was to gather up all this inferior wine
and distill it into brandy. That which
was unfit for distillation should be turned
into the gutter. In this way an open field
would be left for the better qualities of
wines.
Charles Krug of Napa. moved that a
committee be appointed who shall prepare
an address and a circular to the grape
growers and wine-makers, embodying a
statement of the difficulties the wine in
dustries are now laboring under, and ad-
vising them to dry all the reproduction
of grapes distill all inferior wines now in
their possession, and exhorting them to re-
frain from producing inferior qualities of
wine in the future.
The motion was carried unanimously.
Another motion was made and carried,
that the committee be instructed to call
general meeting of the Association when
they have completed their plans of action,
and submit such plans for the considera-
ton of the Association.