San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-05-11
OPORTO'S RUBY WINE.
CURIOUS AND INTERESTING FACTS
ABOUT ITS MANUFACTURE.

Among the Vineyards of q Land Where
Toll Is Made Picturesque and Musical.
Treading Out the Blood of the Grape.
Testing the Juice.
The Alto Douro district in Portugal,
whence the wine comes, comprises q
series of steep activities and narrow
ravines extending some thirty miles along
the River Douro Golden river and vary
ing in breadth from five to ten miles. 1t
is situated both in the provinces of Traz-
os-Moptes and Beira the first named con-
tanning by far the larger portion. The
area of the vineyards is estimated at
about sc, 600 acres. In order to prevent
the loose and fiaky soil in which the vines
are planted upon the steep sides of the
hills from being washed away by heavy
rains, the ground is cut away in terraces,
forming succession of steps, their sides
banked up with walls of masonry. These
rows of terraces line the sides of mountain
after mountain, like cyclopean staircases,
and on some slopes as many as $50 may
be counted, rising one above another.
The population of the wine district is
small, and as considerable amount of
labor is needed for the cultivation of the
vine there is ample employment for vint-
ayers, male and female, who flock thither
at the proper season from remote regions,
many coming from the province of Galicia
in the north of Spain. The vintage in
September of course attracts the largest
influx. Dancing and singing on their way
to the vineyards come bands Of peasants
to the gathering. Women with red and
yellow kerchiefs tied over unkempt
tresses, and with bare legs, may be seen
and heard-for their singing, more or less
melodious, is an invariable accompani-
ment of the work-all over the hill sides
culling the punches of fruit with small
hooked knives. AS the berries are thus
detached and the unripe and unsound
fruit removed, they are thrown into
baskets borne on the arm of the vintager.
These are emptied into large baskets,
holding nearly a hundred weight, which,
when filled, men, with sheepskins to pro-
tect their shoulders and plated straw
knots on their heads, hoist on their backs,
and, moving off in Indian file, bear them
along the rugged winding paths and up
and down the steep flights of steps to the
press house.
TOURS OF INSPECTION.
At the principal quintas agents of the
port wine shippers take up their quarters.
Thence they sally forth on daily tours of
inspection, for the purpose of ascertain
ing that the wines their houses have con-
tracted for are fairly and honestly made,
that no unripe or unsound fruit gets into
the lagares, and that the conditions under
which the pressing and fermentation take
place are favorable. Bullock carts go up
and down the dried up stream gullies,
over rough powders, jolted violently and
discordantly creaking; droves Of nimble
little donkeys, with pig skins full Of wine
dangling on either side from strap across
their backs, or bringing bread for the
vintagers, wend their way along zigzag
bride paths, and farmers with wine sam
pies and peddlers with their packs on
mules equipped with jangling bells, jog
leisurely over the mountain roads.
Twenty or more varieties of grapes are
used to make port wine. For the most
part they are black, thick skinned and
pulpy, yielding an ample flow Of saccha-
rine must. Arrived at the press house
they are ~ once shot into the lagares-im-
menss rseeptscles constructed OF solid ma
sorry, with sides about three feet high,
and holding enough grapes to produce
from ten 70 thirty pipes Of wine. When
the lagare is filed the grapes are lsVeled
with hoe, and a gang Of men Is told OF
to tread them.
The Wearisome operation OF trsading Is
begun by men, who step into the lagares
with their white pants rolled up to the
thigh, and their arms resting on each
others shoulders. With measured steps
they advance and retire across thu laGare.