The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-01-28

spite of the drawbacks incident to uu-
profitable operations, vast Improvement
IN the quality of the products and In the
manner of disposing of them has been
effected by those engaged in the viii
cultur al Industry. and those who are in a
position to judge expect a revival of in
terest and an increase in prices in the
immediate future.
ut is not difficult to account for the
temporary depression that has existed.
About 1880 began an increase in the acre.
age devoted to wine and brandy grape
varieties. About that time. owing to the
short supply of wine fer the then small
wine market and the consequent large
returns from bearing vineyards. attention
was extensively called to the wine and
brandy business The many new vine-
yards planted at this period came into
bearing from 1884 to 1889, thus greatly
augmenting the vintage. In the meantime
no adequate provision had been made for
the sale of the wine. Prices of wine, of
vineyards and of vineyard lands receded
as natural consequence, and the wine
makers and merchants found themselves
face TO face with the difficult problem of
urging consumption.
THAT this has been met is evidenced by
the fact that the annual shipments Of wine
out Of the State-in 1880 about 5000. 600
gallons-have grown steadily, until to-day
they reach the handsome total of over
100000 gallons. Add to this amount the
coast consumption. which is estimated at
about 100000 gallons. and the quantity of
wine now required TO meet the demands of
trade is 100000 gallons"
The future is now a question Of supply
and demand, according to Mr.. Scott The
| limit Of production for five years at least
has been reached, as no new bearing vine
yards can be created before that time. On
the contrary. the present demand has not
only grown TO the point OF possible supply,
but has caused a material shrinkage Of old
stocks. This demand is from every East
eTn Stale and Central America. Mexico,
Japan. Hawaii, Germany and England.
| Wine-buyers from the cellars of the pro-
| ducers are willing to pay from so to 20 per
cent better prices than year ago and the
market is very firm.
As to the quality of California wines. il
! may be said that their average quality is
| above the average of either the French or
! German wines of like tyre. and that there
are well-known selected growths which
will compare favorably with the selected
foreign wines. It is not claimed that the
acme of perfection is or will soon be
reached, but it is true that the quality is
such as to command the respect of experts
and coDDoisseurs. as the medals awarded
in the Paris Exposition Of 1889 amply
! demonstrates.
MI. Scott concludes: "The future of the
| business seems bright. Like any other
industry. the wine industry Of California
has had its reverses and successes, but il is
established on a firm basis and the pros
poets for profits are excellent. Brandy
distillati0n is also on firm Foundation.
The annual production is about 1000. 900
gallons, much of which has a market in
Germany and England and The rest in the
Eastern States. The quality of the brandy
produced has much improved in the recent
past and producers of fair 10 choice arti-
Gle readily sell what they make.
''1he culture of the wine grape and the
making Of wine is fascinating pursuit.
and will always attract, as it has in Cali
fornia, intelligent aud cultured minds.
The State fosters the industry by large
expenditure of money. Nearly eyery
known variety Of wine-grare is growing in
California, experiments are continually
being made in fermentation, the literature
published by the State is exhaustive, apc
every opportunity offers for the investment
of capital in business that calls for the
highest intelligence. and Will ultimately
yield handsome profit"
1t is said on the authority of
I. Z. Haber, the wine expert, that
there are in California about 1000
grape-growers; between 5000 and 1000 who
grow wine grapes. and out of these 1000
that there are 700 winemakers. Some of
the prominent wine men of the State hay
been successfully engaged of late in OPEN
ing up new markets for the California
product. Southern and Central America
| afford strong demand, and when the
problem of transportation is solved there
will probably be steady market in those
localities. The taste for good wine is said
to be growing throughout the United
States, ana the California bottlings are be-
ing more and mole called for.