The record-union., 1891-09-23
GREATEST IN THE WORLD.
Some Facts Concerning the Vina Vine-
yard and Ranch.
sixty Thousand Acres Devoted to Va
rious Industries-ForeignC Countries
Are Demanding It's Products.

A correspondent of the RECORD UNION,
writing from Vina, Tehama County, and
who signs himself sc. w. F.,' gives the
following very interesting and complete
description of Senator Stanford's great
ranch and vineyard near there:
So much has been said and written
about the vineyard and wine interests OF
California that that subject, at least to our
own people, must seem somewhat devoid
OF interest and therefore entirely worn
out. However, widely read and live
newspaper like the RECoRD-UNIoN is not
published alone for the benefit of those
who live within the sound of its presses.
1t reaches out into the world beyond the
bounds of the Sierras. and for that mat
ter, beyond old ocean-into other lands.
For the benefit of the latter class OF
readers allow your correspondent for
once to trample on the sacred rights of
the local reader, so that those beyond our
borders may be given few sketches con-
cerning one of the great enterprises to
which Californians point with pride and
admiration.
Some people in this world drink wine
while others do not. Many of both
classes referred to do not know that near
the head of the Sacramento Valley, in the
County Of Tehama, one hundred and
twenty miles from your city, and on the
line of the California and Oregon Rail
road, there is located
THE LARGEST VINEYARD ON THE GLOBE.
This great property and enterprise,
known as the Vina Vineyard, is owned
and held in trust by California's philan-
thropist, Leland Stanford, for the use and
benefit, for all ages, of the Leland Stan
ford Jr. University at Palo Alto.
That the readers OF the RECoRD-UNIoN
may be enabled to gain some knowledge
of the vastness of this estate, it will only
be necessary to say that the Vina ranch
IN Its entirety contains In round numbers
almost 10000 acres of land, located in the
garden spot Of the world.
Near the center of the best portion Of
this estate is the now celebrated Vina
Vineyard. To give the reader
SOME IDEA OF IT'S MAGNITUDE,
The following facts are submitted: The
vineyard, from east to west measures
L, 800 feet, and from north to south Is, 400
feet. To still further illustrate the di-
mensions of the vineyard, I will say that
you can take the city of Sacramento,
with her thirty thousand inhabitants and
all their belongings-the Buffalo Brewery
included-and set them all down in the
midst Of the Vina Vineyard, and then
you would still have sufficient territory
remaining within your four borders to
build good-siZed city. The vineyard is
laid out with perfect eXactness into sec
lions, blocks and broad avenues, the lat
ter leading to the four points Of the COM
pass.
The vineyard contains l ,I40 blocks. and
each block l.400 vines, making grand
total Of ,596,000 bearing vines. Growing
IN the vineyard, in addition to the vines,
are upward of 20,000 fruit trees, which
shade the broad avenues and lend quite a
picturesque effect to the place.
wINE-MAKING SEASON.
The Vina Vineyard people are now in
the midst of the wine-making season.
Upward of five hundred white men are
busily engaged at picking grapes for the
wine press. This army Of workers is
div ided into companies of about fifty,
each squad being under the direction of a
foreman, while the entire force is under
the commandership of the Vineyard
superintendent, James II. Douglas.
The grapes, on being gathered, are
placed in boxes which hold about fifty
pounds each. They are next loaded upon
wagons, weighed, and then hauled to the
fermenting building, where four endless
chain elevators, driven by steam, are in
operation carrying the grapes to the
crushing-roomS in the third story of the
building. The grapes are at once passed
through crushers and stemmers. They
are four in number, with a capacity OF
400 tons a day
These machines, which are of the latest
improved patterns, perform their task ad-
mlrably IN separating the stems from the
grapes. The wine, together with the
crushed grapes, is next conveyed by large
fumes to fermenting tanks. Just as soon
as tank has received its proper quantity
record of the contents is made, and also
test OF its condition by the saccharome-
ter, to determine the temperature and also
the quantity of sugar contained therein.
This record is kept until the must (the
name now given TO the wine and crushed
grape) has passed through the stages OF
fermentation required.
TIE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS OF
wINE-MAKING
is to draw the wine from the "pomace. -
formerly called must" by a steam
pump into large oval tanks in the re-
celying-vaults. The tank is then emptied
of its pomace into cars and taken to the
wine press, where the last of the wine
remaining in the grapes is withdrawn.
The wine-maker has now on hand what
is simply called wine in its crude state,
wholly unfit for use, because it is in a
muddy and unpalatable condition.
From this period on and through all
The changes that wine must pass through
IN order to mature, the experienced wine
maker is simply sentry ON duty. He
never loses sight of cask of wine until
il has passed the several stages of rack
ing, and has aged sufficiently to DO placed
on the market.
THE GREAT BUILDINGS.
The large buildings at this place used
for fermenting and storing wine are in
keeping with the rest of the surround
ings.
The fermenting- house, which is three
stories high, is l7Ox260 feet, and is built oi
iron, brick and concrete. 1t contains 500
wine casks, which hold from LEGO 10
1000 gallons each. The total capacity OF
this building is 1000 gallons.
The next building, the wine cellar or
storage vaults, covers two acres OF
ground, and is fire-proof 1t has a capac-
lty of 100000 gallons. At present there
are about 100000 gallons of wine stored
in it. This wine is from one to five years
old. These buildings cost SI55, 200.
THE BRANDY INDUSTRY.
This article would be incomplete If the
distillery which always forms a neces-
Sary adjunct TO every winery of any
magnitude, failed to receive mention.
Here, without exception (for | have lust
tried it, the finest quality of brandy
made III the United States is produced.
such is the unbiased testimony Of experts
in our own country, as well as that Of the
cORRoiSSelTS of the brandy producing
centers OF Europe who have made thor
ough tests. From their verdict it
would seem hat the time is not far dis
iant when some of the ebrandy-producing
districts of Europe will be brought face
TO face with powerful competitor.
Brandy is not used to any extent in
this country as beverage, but more es-
pecially for medicinal purposes, or az a
Stimulant in cases where II is desired.
For this reason, If for no other, il is OF the
highest Importance that pure article, free
from adulteration, may be obtained.
Ia nj fso I