The record-union., 1891-07-15
Special to the REcoRp-uNroN.

Special to the RECORD-UNIoN.
WAsHINGToN, July 14.-Internal Rev
enue Commissioner Mason said to-day !:
1.-THE new regulations concerning the
fertilization of sweet wines are now ready
for distribution. / have expedited the
matter all / could, realizing how anx-
iously the wine-growers throughout Cali
fornia were awaiting the receipt of the
new rules of the department, which con-
cern one of the most important industries
on the coast, or in the United States, for
that natter
Commissioner Mason was prevailed
upon to give out the new regulations for
publication by the California Associated
Press. They will be found clearly set
forth in the following letter to Collector
Quinn:
"SIR-I have to inform you that the
regulations concerning the fortification of
pure sweet wines and the fertilization of
wine for export have been revised, and
as revised approved by the honorable
Secretary of the Treasury. These re-
VisCd regulations and revised forms will
be printed and distributed as soon as
possible, but as it is feared the distribu-
tion may not be completed before the 1st
proXimo 1t is thought advisable to give
you an outline III this letter of the changes
made in the regulations, and to specify
what changes in said forms already
printed are necessary to adopt them for
use under the new regulations. The
changes in the regulations are as follows !:
THAT provision is stricken out of the
bond which requires the use of brandy
within certain number of hours of the
arrival of the officer designated to super
wise such use.
~, 1
the execution OF bonds and qualification
of sureties, the Collector is directed to
satisfy himself that the principal is per-
son entitled to give bond, and that he in
tends to fortify style for the purpose
and a place described in the law and
within the limitations specified in the
law; also, that he has set apart fortify-
ing-room as provided i'll the regulations.
''Such portions of the law as define the
person, article, purpose and place, and set
forth in the limitations, are quoted and
referred to, and the decision on these
points heretofore made have been inserted
in the regulations as Il matter of special
interest. The following is quoted from
this part of the regulations: The place
at which the fortitication is to be begun
and completed, is at the vineyard of the
wine-grower whose grapes are crushed
and the grape juice fernented.' In order
to comply with this section, it is not nee
tSSdIy lIldI dl1 grapes SIltll De grown at
the place where the winery is situated,
but it is absolutely necessary that they
shall be connected with every winery as
part of the premises of the vineyard,
and while this office will not attempt, in
these regulations, to determine the acre
age, or number of grapeyines necessary
to constitute vineyard, it will insist that
it must be bona fide vineyard.
"a winemaker cannot fortify under
bond any wine except that pressed from
grapes at his own winery. As the wine
must be made exclusively from juice
only of grapes crushed at his vineyard,
he cannot use in the preparation 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. lie may, however, purchase fresh
grapes from other parties and crush them
ut his vineyard
THE limitations require that in every
winery where pure sweet wines are made
and intended to be fortified with brandy,
free of tax, room TO be known
as a fortifying room will be set
apart. This room will be securely
built and partitioned, so as to
be entirely separate from every other
part of the winery, with all its windows
and doors, or other openings to or from
the same, so arranged and built as to be
securely locked. bolted or barred from
the inside. The entrance door to be
locked with Government seal lock, the
key of which must be at all times in
charge OF q United States gauger The
Collectors will make acquisitions for the
necessary locks and seals, and the locks
and seals will be supplied used and ac-
counted for as in the case OF diStillery
warehouse. The fortifying room may be
n portion of any building or an entire
building, but must be on the wine
growers premises, at the vineyard where
the grapes are crushes and feimented.
1.-THE fortifying room must be entirely
under the control of an officer detailed by
the Collector of Internal revenue. This
officer viii attend for the purpose of
gauging, taking samples and supervising
the fortifying of wines in pursuance of
the requests of the wine-maker.
when the wines to be fortified are
ready for fortifieation, they will be drawn
into tanks or vessels in the room, and the
officer will proceed TO take samples and
ascertain the quantity and saccharine and
alcoholic strength. If the wine offered
for fortification indicate zero and less by
the saccharometer before evaporation,
also if it contains more than Is per cent.
by the Sallarnon test of alcohol by vol
ume, and four per cent. of sugar by
weight, the gauger viii take samples of
such wines before fortification for an
analysis, before he allows the wine
maker TO add grape brandy. II the wine
offered for fortification contains not less
than four per cent. of saccharine matter
and otherwise complies with the law,
the ofticers will allow the wine-maker TO
add grape brandy, but not in excess of
fourteen per cent. and the twenty-four
per cent: limitations fixed by law. The
wlne-maker will thoroughly mix and
blend the brandy with the wine, in order
that the alcoholic and saccharine strength
of the wine fortified may be uniform
throughout the tank or other vessel. The
gauger Will then take q quart sample of
each tank in triplicate, as provided.
u IL 1t is lmpracticable for the wine
maker 10 add TO the wine at the time O
the arrival of the gaugers, pursuant to
his notice, q sufficient quantity of crane
brandy TO preserve the saccharine matter
in the wine, he must at some time during
the season notify the gauger of his desire
to complete the fertilization at the second
operation.
"Under the heading of stamping pack
ages fortified in the fortifying room, it is
provided that when 4 tank or other veS-
sci of wine is fortified in the fortifying
room the gauger will aflix stamp
thereto, and such package so filled will be
designated in all reports by it serial num-
hers and the serial number of such
staun. Whenever the contents of one or
more nackages are transferred TO one or
more other packages, in the reports of
such transfers the serial numbers of the
original packages, and the serial
numbers of the stamp on the original
packages, together with the numbers
of the new packages, Will be given,