The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-07-20

60 yield al OF the pure juice IIaj cOltd ne
squeezed out of them the skins were placed
Sn watts of water with a very cheap article
of sugar and there the stuff fcrmentS and
is turned into barrels. This process Is re
peated four or five times, or as long As
there is any strength or colOring matter
in the grape skin, as a soup bone IS boiled
over at a cheap boarding house. Sugar
being cheaper now than in the early days,
the adultoration pays. This stuff was and
is sold for wine in the east and in Europe.
This Is a harmless adulteration so far as
UnhealthfulnCss Is concerned. Owing TO
the great percentage Of sugar in the Cali
fornia grape, the wines naturally contain
~ great per cent of alcohol, and instead Of
adding the usual adulteratiOn (abOUJ ,
per cent of alcohol il is obviatcd by pick
ing the grape earlier in the season, when
il contains less OF saCcharine substance.
and thereby reducing the percentage of
alcohol This class Of wine must be al
lowed 20 age in order TO acquire body and
character Another method Of producing
light wine" is to plant in separate
vineyard only that variety OF grapes that
does not contain large percentage of sUg-
ar. But wincmakcrs who grow for the
market DO not make this distinction.
Only the rancher who grows for home con
sumption makes an art of viticulture by
planting a certain kind of grape in light
or heavy soil, for experience has demon
sJrated that the grape gives quality to the
wine, while TIE soil only mOdities that
quality.
Atmospheric Disturbances.
The climate Of California being differ
ent from that in any other part of the
world, perfection in winemaking was
only reached 10y experiment.. There are
no summer rains 10 spoil the grape. Mil
dew Is found only in low. wet places,
where vineyards are not planted. and there
are no atmospheric disturbances 10 sour
the grape Even the slightest influence IS
felt by the very sensitive grape. The eli
mate and soil both have a marked intiu-
snce upon the grape, and each variety
makes a distinct kind of wine This is
what often puzzles the vintner, for COM
petition has become 50 close that he must
survey the field and determine what quail
lry Of wine viii likely be in demand Yet
the vintner here has the advantage Of
warm sunshine continually from the time
the blossoms come out until they develop
into the luscious grape in October. The
crup ! sure, because IL never rains before
December - the earliest. The vines are
unStaked, for there is no frost or mildcv,
and the lunches are left TO grow sweeter.
The Mission san Gabriel few miles
from Los Angeles, had the first vineyard
In California. It's early history Is lost in
the miStS of tradition. as well rs the ma
fivity Of its vines. One theory" j. that
the vines were taken from some of the
wild varieties that grew in this section be
fore the 1riars came, and another is that
the missionaries planted the seeds from
raiSins imported from Spain. This latter
Is more likely ID DE correct, for the friars
attempted TO make wine from the wild
grape, which they found 10 be more diff
cult Of DEMONSTRATING than the Indians
were. However. after cEYyriururiu- they
proDagaTed TWO varietieS-one known as
the Blue Mission" grape. the other the
White Mission grape, the latter having
q muSlSy favor. This variety is also found
in New Mexico. where missions had been
established also by Spain. The blue
grape wine. II its purity, i similar -
une red wine or UId CASTLE auu was
the prevailing table wine Of the SQaniariS
and MexicanS As labor was no object,
there being plenty Of Indians in the cuun-
try, the gneatest care and attention were
given To viJiluirure Each mission had
from 10 20 20 acres in vines, which pro
Guced from so 70 200 gallons OF wine
per acre.
- Crude Methods.
The principal ranchcrs had their own
distillerics-c-u5ea and Curious-but yhcy
turned out better wine than we set today.
Very little was exported as only one or
two vessels Il wear came, and as bottles.
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