Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-02
CALIFORNIA VINTAGE.
Report From the Recent Rains in the
Viue-Growing Districts.

Report From the Recent Rains in the
e-Growing Districts.
SAN FRANCISCO, November st-The estimate
of 1000 600 gallons deficit in the wine product OF
the State by President WetmOre OF the Viticult-
ural Commission on October Oath is being con-
frmed as the figures come in. The storm was
not as disastrous TO the wine men, however, as
it was to the raiSin growers, the figures in the
latter case being very difficult to get.
Clarence J. Wetmore of the Commission places
the wine loss according tn recent figures re-
eeiVed at $50 600 gal Ions, but this is only esti
mated even yet. The loss is distributed as fol-
lows:
DISTRICT GALLONS.
Napa and Sonoma, about one-third of
the 49,. ...l $50 600
Santa Clara, Santa Cruz Monterey ETC..
about one fourth of crop....-..--.... 800 600
Alameda, l0O W
San Joaquin and State at large.............. 5000
Total. 800 600
"In Alameda county and throughout the San
Joaquin valley and Southern California, the
grapes are picked about ten days before they
are in other districts so that this accounts for
the comparatively small loss" Mr.. Wetmore
said to-day. There was a stringeney in the mar
ket before the storm occurred, for we have
market for Il, 900 900 gallons, and we looked for
100000 gallons OF wine and 100000 of
brandy. Now we have only 10000 600 of wine,
brandy remaining about the same. Of this we
send away to the East ard 6Ge ign ports o9S
local demand, which is perhaps 100000 gal
Ions This of course means an advance in
prices"
GOOD PRICES AHEAD.
Among the wholesale Dealers notwithstand-
ing the certainty of a small crop, there is no de-
spOndency. They have their cellars full of IS
vintage, bought at from 10 II cents gallon.
This, owing to the shortage of SO crop, they can
dispense at big profit The dealers say they
expect to pay good prices when they make their
purchases next spring. and good wine will I'M
doubleday fetch from is cents upward. Revers-
mo 40 4 hp
lower at the start than they will be later on in
the season. AS the wine-growers are looking
forward to the result SO wines will be rarity
in the market until late in the year.
The extreme vigilance OF the revenue officers
in reference 10 brandy used by growers to forti-
fly sweet wines has had unexpected effect.
The market has already felt the stimulating
effect caused by the prospect of a small output,
and the fact that very little sweet wine of SO
will be manufactured bias tendency to stiffen
prices This in the judgment of buyers will be
strongly marked further on.
An impression prevails in Alameda county
that gold medals were awarded at the Paris EX-
Viticultural Commission proves this to be IN
founded. The vineyard referred to had no
Zinfandel on exhibition, two cases of Sauterne
being all that was sent. Zinfandel, according
to experts, makes win ordinaire of fair quality,
and that is all they claim for it. The difficulty
with California Zinfandel, they say, is that they
are kept too long in wood. After the third year
such wines so kept deteri0rate perceptibly, yet
it is said to be ordinary thing in this State to
keep table wines in wood for four or five years.
Wine and its care have now become science
say the experts and wood should not be used,
especially since glass is even cheaper now than
wood was when the Duke of Clarence was
drowned in a butt at Malmesey.
RAIsINs AND TABLE GRAPES.
All the raisin districts nave suffered extremely
from the storm, and while no definite reports
have been received, yet the loss is estimated on
such figures as have come to hand from the
various dealers in the raisin trade at IS per cent
of the entire crop OF Fresno's product put at
600,00O boxes, $50 900 will be about the figure
Mr., Williams, of Williams, Brown d Co., the
packers OF Fresno says the. first crop was dam
aged 10 per cent. by lack of sun in drying and
he is given as authority for the statement that
the second crop, which was far finer than the
first, was damaged 90 per cent. by the storm.
The disastrous effects in Woodland Davis
vile, FL Cajon Riverside, San Bernardino
Orange, Los Angeles and other dis riots have
not yet been summarized, but they are known
to have been widespread, owing to the lateness
of the time at which the grapes are picked
Table grapes have been the source of greatest
loss. so far as the crop is concerned. The i'm
mediate effect on the market, however, has been
the booming of prices to twice what they were
previously, so that growers do not anticipate
losing more than 70 per cent. of their usual in
come from this source