The record-union., 1891-07-17
FoRTIFICATIoN OF SWEET WINES.

FoRTIFICATION OF SWEET WINES.
On Wednesday the RECORD UNION
published the new Treasury regulations
concerning the fortification of sweet
wines with untaxed brandy. Two dia-
metrically opposed views of the regula-
tions are taken.
The rules provide that the winery
must be upon vineyard owned by the
wine-maker, and that he cannot fortify
with free brandy any wine except that
pressed from grapes at his own winery.
The winery must, in short, be located
upon the vineyard of the wine-maker
where grapes are crushed and the grape
juice fermented.
Now, say the friends of this regulation,
the demand of the dealers for the privi
lege of fortifying is shut off and there can
be no more cellar wine-making from the
mixed juices bought here and there and
dumped into common receptacle. Under
that process high class distinctive wine
California's reputation as fine wine pro-
ducing State can now be redeemed.
Moreover, the eXactions of customs winer-
les must cease. They can no longer fix
the price at which small vineyardists
must sell, or let their grapes go to the
ground.
On hn ~ i- lnI
while the regulation will kill off the rats,
it is at the expense of burning the build
ing. That only the few among grape
growers can establish and maintain
wineries, and while it may be of benefit
to the wine brands of the State TO choke
off the public wineries, yet it is also true
that without them the small vineyardist
cannot carry on his business. That while
there are abuses, frauds, extortion and
practices injurious to our wine credit,
they must be treated Independently, and
not all the wine-malling of the State be
turned over to the large vineyardists.
But we do not understand either of
these positions to be wholly sound. The
new regulations provide that!
The place at which the tortification is 10 be
Begun and completed is at the vineyard OF the
wine grower whose grapes are crushed and
the grape juice fermented In order TO COM
ply with this section il is not necessary that
all grapes shall be grown at the place where
the winery Is situated, but ii is absolutely
necessary that they shall be connected with
the winery as part of the premises OF the
vineyard, and while this once viii not at
tempt, in these regulations. 10 determine the
acreage or number OF grapey ines neccss AIRY to
constitute vineyard, it viii insist that 1t
must be n iona nue vineyard,
a wlnemaker cannot iortify under bond
any Wine except that pressed from graz e OF
Ills own winery. AS the wine must be made
exclusively nom Juice -ly' of grapes crusht d
at his vineyard, he cannot use in the prepara-
tion OF wine to be fortified free of tax juice of
grapes OF another VINEYARD or place nor can
he so use any product of such grapes such as
wine concentrated, must, or condensed must.
ne may, hoUeCer, purchase fresh grapes from
other parties and crush them at ms Uineyard.
The italics are ours. So it well be seen,
first, that there is nothing to prevent
present customs wineries from
doing business by locating upon vine
yards owned by the winery operator.
Nor does the law require that every grape
grower have upon his vineyard winery
with fortifying room, under the seal of
the Government, and supervision of a
revenue gauger. For, wherever a vine
yardist has established winery upon his
vineyard, he may purchase fresh grapes
from his neighbors and crush them, but
he cannot buy grape juice.
1t is said that this amounts simply to
n al II ioI pI
to do the business of the section and nom
mate prices and corner the market. 1t is
to be replied that it efIectually kills off
the cellar wineries in the large cities,
which do so much to lower the rank of
California wines by their promiscuous
mixing system. Besides, the new system
will have the effect of giving to the brands
of specific sections distinctive character,
and that is the highest need of the Cali
fornia wine interest to-day.
A great many more vineyardists will,
however, establish wineries than is sup
posed, for the reason that it will pay to do
so, because the brand of vineyard may
become, for a high-class wine, trade
mark of inestimable value, precisely as
are the brands of the many vineyards of
France, the wine of each having special
valuable and distinctive qualities The
tendency, therefore, will be to give new
character to California wines, and to set
mp district and section and individual
brands, which can maintain themselves
only by their excellence, while the mix
ture of all sorts of grapes and grape juice
from which the wines are produced that
cannot attain high place in the regard of
wine users, win mostly cease, and event.
ually wholly so, greatly to the credit of
the State.
As we understand the matter, then, the
small vineyardist who grows a grape
worth crushing at all, will be able in his
own section TO sell his grapes to wine
maker in that section, who is practical
vineyardist, and knows his business thor
oughly.