The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-09-05
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
CALIFORNIA WINES.
They Are Very Strong of Alcohol, ano
HP@ae Quito Intoxicating.

Passing tarough Southern California;
recently, and being introduced by al
mutual friend to the proprietor of one
of the wineries there, person who had
come over from Europe, / learned some
things about California wines that may
be of general interest and help toward
correct understanding of their nature.
The mission grape" of which the wines
are made, probably SO named from its
introduction by persons connected with
the early Romish missions to California,
is not found in France, but is found in
Spain, Portugal and part of Italy. 1T
is sweeter, however, as it grows in
Southern California than it is in
Europe. For this reason it is not suit
able for making dry wines" By this
term the gentleman appeared to under
stand wines made from grape-juice, con-
tanning only SO much grape-sugar asI
would be entirely changed in its fer
mentation. He stated that in fermen-
tation we can get only sixteen or sew
enteen per cent. of alcohol, which
statement agrees with those of others,
the alcohol then becoming strong
enough to arrest further fermentation
by it's preserving the remaining sugar
from decomposition, as it preserves
other substances immersed in it.
The grapes are put into machi5r;
which cleans out all the stems, crushe6
the grapes, and filters out all the pulp,
seeds and skins 1t has three filters
through all of which the first flow of
juice, if not the whole of the liquid,
runs. Other persons acquainted with
the working of the winery spoke of
there being three runs of the grape
juice, the first run being used for max
ing the wine called angelica" the
second for making sherry and port wine,
and the third for claret. They stated
also that water is sometimes poured on
the pulp and skins for the third run,
which reminds one of the ancient GUS
tom of doing the same thing to make
the poscd or sour drink of the Roman
soldier
The proprietor did not seem inclined
to give any information about selling
the grape-juice as unfermented wine,
though others affirmed that he some
times sold the sweet juice. He boils
down quantities of it, but insisted that
it should be called 'grape molasses,"
and not wine, although he was referred
to the Roman custom of calling such
wine detrutum and sapa.
AS to the making of the wine called
angelica" he said it was the sweet
grape-juice mixed with twenty per cent.
of 1.-The spirit of wine" By this term
he meant the alcohol he distills from
inferior grades of wine. At the time of
my visit he was said to be distilling
brandy, as the season for gathering the
grapes and making wine had passed.
He poured out little of his angelica
for me to test its character, and the
simple smelling of it showed that it
was strong with alcohol. He stated
that no such wine is made in Europe,
but that there is sale for it in Amer
lea, and that it will not ferment, which
all will understand to be true who are
familiar with the nature of alcohol.
The twenty per cent of alcohol is strong
enough to preserve the eighty per cent.
of sweet juice from any decomposition
by vinous fermentation.
He also spoke of making other ''sweet
wines," as sweet sherry, ETC., and said
| they were fermented wines, but that
after fermentation had taken place and
they were fortified so as to contain
eighteen TO twenty per cent. of alcohol
portion of unfermented grape-iuice
was then added to give them sweet
taste. OF course, in this case, as
with the angelica, after the wine has
been fortified so as to contain eighteen
! to twenty per cent. of alcohol, the
sweet juice introduced into the wine
will be preserved from all change and
give the wine sweet taste.
| Speaking of the California claret, he
said that the European claretS contain
seven or eight per cent. of alcohol, but
the California clarets have eleven or
twelve per cent. of it. The gentleman
who introduced me afterward said that
| the clarets made in California some
times contain as much as fifteen per
cent. of alcohol
Thus it will be seen that the Cali
fornia wines are very strong of alcohol.
and hence must be quite intoxicating.
| And we should be careful not to be de-
ceived by their names. 1t is evident
that the angelica may with propriety
| be spoken of as an unfermented wine.
But still, from this We must not i'm
| agine that it is an Misunderstanding wine,
| as is generally understood, when we
| speak of unfermented wine. And again,
this wine is manifestly very different
in its nature from ordinary wines, so
far as its nourishing properties are con-
cerned Ordinary fermented and yet
pure wines con tain but a mere
trifle of nourishment, but the an
gelica, if made as described, must
be very nourishing, although the
nourishment can be obtained only
with great accompanying evil and dan
ger from its being mixed with so much
alcohol. The best grape-juice is said
by chemical authorities to contain as
much or more nutriment than an equal
quantity of the best milk. And as the
California grapes are exceptionally fine,
if the angelica contains eighty per cent.
of the best grape-juice, it must have a
large amount of nourishment. And in
respect to the other sweet wines which
are fermented, if they have any consid-
cradle quantity of juice put into
them after fermentation has ceased, in
| proportion to the amount of this which