The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-09-16
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FRIENDS AT THE EAST.

A Mr.. Windmuller, who is presumably
engaged in the importation of European
wines at New York, lately wrote a letter to
the papers III which he opposed any increase
in the duty on foreign wines on the ground
that they were the only wholesome wines
which Americans co uld find to drink. Re
ferfing to California wines he condemned
tnem with the curt sentence that most of
them are crude and unralatabie, and all of
them are too heavy" He predicted that it
would be years before we could make light
table wines This unjust criticism rou sed
Mr.. F. o. Boz d, who lately made an eXten-
sive tour through our vine ards, and i'm
PEELED him to reply thus:
l beg 10 take issue with Mr.. Wndmuller on
this subject, and stale without any fear of refu-
tation that most OF the California wines are not
crude and unpalatable nor are til ey all too heavy
1t is not claimed that they are equal to Chateau
Yquem. Chateau Laiiite, Chateau Margaux, OF
some other of the choicest French wines.
Whether they ever VIII be emalns 10 be proved.
Many led and White wines produced IN California
to-day vastly superior TO the ordinary French
wines-ooth d'uns in France f:sjssue Fported INTO
this countIy-and are nor &c., unpaatable,
nor are they TOO heavy. They are the pure and
unadulerated juice Of the grape and in this way
more wholesome than most OF the cheap i'm
ported wines which our Consul 10 Bordeaux
wrote much about some years since. According
TO his official reports The most shameful and in
furious adueration was practiced by many OF
the largest wine merchants there. Indeed, the
French Government TOOK steps 10 have the fraud
stopped.
Persons who are familiar with the progress
which has been made in the past few years in
the art OF making fiue wines in California will
confirm Mr.. Boyd's statement that some OF
our Burgundys are too heavy, while that the
Mission wine is crude is admitted, but in the
pas few years wine has been made in Ala
media and Napa counties which will compare
favoraby in point OF lightness and bouquet
with good Bordeaux wines, and some of our
Reislings need not fear competition with
the French Sauternes or the hooks OF the
Rhine.
ne-making, like every other industry,
takes time TO reach perfection. 1t requires
years for vineyardistS to learn precisely
what grapes to plant in each particular 10
cality. When Haraszthy the elder aud the
late Charles kohler began to make wine,
the only beverage made from the grape was
the Mission wine, which was certainly in
feror. They experimental largely with
various European stocks, largely Hungarian,
and they succeeded in making from one
Hungarian erape-ihe Zinfandel-a wine
which was vast improvement on the drink
of the Mission padres. Until ten years ago,
ZinfaHdel was perhaps the best wine made
in the State. Since then our vineyaTdiStS
have been experimenting with French and
German stocks. Readers of reports OF
meetings of the Yiticultural societies are
amazed at the multitude Of imported vines
which have been planted in this State Some
of these have yielded very satisfactory re-
suits; though, OF course, sufficient time has
not elapsed to teach all planters what stocks
to set out in each different locality. The
vine is a capTicious plant. 1t is very select
in its choice OF soil, exposure and surround
ings. In some localities vine will yield
four tons Of grapes TO the acre, while in an
other locality near by the same vine will
only Yield one tor. The chances are, how
ever, that the one ton will yield richer and
more delicate wine than the four In one
place, grapes viii yield heady wine
heavily charged with alcohol. In another
place light, pleasant wine is made from
the same grapes. 1t is all question of Sc
lectiug the right vine for the soil and ex-
posture.
Hundreds of highly educated and intelli-
gent men are deyoting their whole time to
the study Of vitlcultuIe with view TO the
improvement oil our wines, and are eX-
changing the fruits of their discoveries with
each other at periodical meetings of the
Viticultural and Agricultural associations.
That they will end in producing as fine
wines as are grown in France is not to be
doubted. They are at the stage of the work
which the French occupied some time ago.
Meanwhile, any one who knows how to
choose wines can buy in Napa and Alameda
counties clarets and sauternes at from 30
cents to 70 cents gallon which are equal TO
any ordinary wine that is imported from
France