Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-07
CALIFORNIA VINTAGS.
A GLOOMY OUTLOOK FOR lTHI
PRIMARY PRODUCER.
The senseless Competition AmoDgDaal-
zssHers Which Must Result in the Riin
of California Wines In a
the East.

The time has now arrived whea the
dealer in California wines feels called
upon to lift up his voice and announce
to the wine-grower that there is nomar
ket for his wines, says the Fresno Ex-
position. At the same time he takes OCT
casion to lay the future responsibility Of
this condition of affairs upon the grower,
poor soul, so that he will feel properly
humiliated and discouraged.
We have noticed this sentiment is
generally published near the time for
the vintage, so that should the hopeful
grower take a wildlifancy that prices
may, or at least ought to improve, he
will quickly disabuse hls mind Of any
such notion, and be in proper attitude
to receive any kicks, the consider
ate dealer feels called upon to give him
later on. when he tries to market his
product. If the market was really in
the condition that the Examiner puts it,
(Which it is not), then the entire respon-
sibility and blame for such a condition
rnnst reei W itis-sta1o ss0urcr anu not With
the grower, as stated.
In all wine growing countries the
grower simply produces the raw ma
terial the finished product is generally,
if not always, the result of the blending
and manipulations of the competent
dealer, and the value of the finished
product depends very largely upon the
knowledge, care and skill of the dealer
who fits it for consumption. With but
few exceptions there are no vineyards
in the world that produce the finished
dry wines of commerce. We except the
Chateau Eafitte, Margaux, La Rose and
few others, celebrated the world over.
After thirty years of experiment and
intelligent work by the wine growers of
California, they are as well fitted to pro-
duce good raw material as any class who
grow wines in any country, and that
they do 80 is also q fact. One OF the
most serious troubles the wine growers
have had to contend with is the utterly
senseless competition among the deal
ers themselves, in their stupid endeav-
ors to oversell each other in quantity,
and undersell in price.
The only result of such competition is
the ultimate ruin of the grower and
trash called California wine, for the
eastern consumer; and yet these good
and considerate dealers cry out there is
L
prising if there was not, under such con-
ditions, when the bulk, of the properly
matured and blended wines are sold
under foreign labels, and the unripe, ,un-
cared-for product is sold as California
wines, largely made by blending two or
three gallons of green wines, Just made,
for which comparatively nothing is
paid, with one gallon of old wine, doc
tored with salicylic acid to keep it from
fermenting in transit east?
| AS matter of fact, even with all OF
| these disadvantages, the consumption
of our wines is increasing at the rate of
from one to two million gallons yearly,
and all properly handled wines of suit
able age for consumption find favor in
every market where they have been
properly introduced. The clubs and
hotels of San Francisco are now selling
comparatively little else. 4.
It is also fact that no new wine vine
yards of consequence have been planted
in California for the past five years, and
the production of wines has steadily de-
creased, 80 that at this time the con-
sumption of sound wines quite equals
the production, and will soon surpass it,
when prices will, of necessity, increase ;
but not as long as the dealers can pre-
vent it. The dollar of today is worth
more than ten dollars in the future, and
the future of the industry does not con-
cern the dealer at present.
This situation, however, offers no in
ducement for new plantations, and In
any case only the workman with few
acres well titled, which he can fully con.
troll by his own labor and skill, and
large corporations who can be indie
pendent Of combinations should engage
in the production OF wines in California
The Individual middle class are neces
sarily helpless, and will always remain
so, except for periods when the competi
tion OF buyers makes wines scarce ane
high.
No buffet should be without a bottle of An