The herald., 1897-04-04
NATIVE WINES
One of Southern Cali
fornia's Industries
REMARKABLE DEVELOPMENT
SOME OF THE VINEYARDS AND
WINERIES
A Description of the Plant and Pro.
cess at g. B. Pironi's, West Glen
dale = The Best Grapes

the wine industry of Southern Califor-
MIA is always a subject that demands
general attention, for experience mas
taught growers and dealers as well as
makers that for really exquisite navor
there is no country on earth that can
excel Californias best and genuine
wines.
While wines commonly known as dry
wines are comparatively in as high faVor
as the sweet wines, the American taste
demands, largely the sweet wines, and
to this class Southern California is de-
voting the greater energy
The sweet wine is not sweetened, ex-
cept with it's own saccharine matter. If
this is allowed TO remain, after certain
point of fermentation is reached and
properly handled by a skillful Wine
maker, it retains more of the natural
alcohol arising from the fermentation.
is stronger than if allowed to work of
the saccharine matter, and thus becomes
a sour or dry wine," which is conceded
to be the healthier wine and not so in
toxicating.
Sherry. Port, Angelica, Muscat ana
Malaga are among the many brands of
sweet wines; and the majority OF these
are made in Southern California, While
the northern and central parts OF Cali
fornia excel in the production of dry
wines--without sugar, such as Claret,
Reislings and Sauternes.
The government allows sweet wine
makers the privilege of adding brandy
(free Of taxi up to IA per cent, to pre-
serve the saccharine. This Is done with
proper restrictions, under supervision
of government gaugers large number
of whom are employed in this field.
There are at present sixty-one stills
in the southern revenue district, which
represent about one-third of the number
nf XtDeVQrdg. VinaVardS sell
their grapes and do not make wine. But
a limited number of vineyards make dry
wines and do not require any stills
There are thirty-two bonded wineries
in this district in active operation from
August to January, and their product,
in round figures, for the season of 1896,
wat more than half a million of
gallons of sweet wine. But this was
only about one-half the usual product,
as the crop was excessively short last
year.
Among the largest producers was the
San Gabriel Wine company, whose i'm
mense plant is located at Shorb station.
within seven miles of Los Angeles. A
controlling Interest in this is held by I.
w. Hellman, who also owns a large in
terest in the next largest winery, the
Cucamonga Vineyard company. located
at Cucamonga, San Bernardino county.
Charles Stern, whose large plant is To-
Gated within the city limits. on Macy
street, Is perhaps next in point of i'm
portance, though he is not strictly
among the producers, as he purchases
his grapes.
The L. J. Rose G. Co., limited, an Eng
lish corporation, who operate the old L.
j. Rose vineyard property at San
Gabriel, are heavy producers and rank
very high in the quality of the wine
produced.
e. ]. Baldwin. the lucky" millionaire
owner of the famous Santa Anita vine
yard, produces great quantities of the
choicest wines, and recently made the
most important sale which has been
effected in California for many years
through the well-known wine broker,
Guy B. Barham. This sale comprised
over 100000 gallons of choice wines and
old brandies from the Baldwin wine cell
lars to the Sonoma Wine and Brandy
company of New York-B. r. Kittridge,
buyer-who Is one of the heaviest pur-
chasers of wine in this country and is
the leading member of the firm. He
comes west twice a year for that pur-
pose.
The Sierra Madre Vineyard company
and the Mountain company of Lamanda
park are also large producers of the
choicest brands of wines, mostly sweet.
These are in Los Angeles county.
Emile Vache & Co. and Edward Rein
ert are leaders in the wine industry in
San Bernardino county, whose goods
rank high.
The vineyard and winery Of C. B.
Pironi,who has a well-established whole
sale house on Main street, Is one of the
reliable representative men of Califor-
mia, and visit to his winery, still and
vineyard at West Glendale gives one an
intelligent understanding of the busi-
ness and its outlook. By the courtesy Of
this gentleman q Herald representative
was afforded most thorough examina-
tion of his winery. His buildings were
originally intended for suburban hotel
erected during the days Of the late
lamented boom, and are therefore COM
modious. under the changes in plans.
while they retain some ething of their
original picturesqueness and located as
they are In one of the most beautiful val
leys of California, seven miles from Los
Angeles, northwest, the visit is one long
to be remembered.
The first thing to catch the eve on
entering the grounds is the elevator"
an inclined plane provided with an end
less canvass belt, like the old threshing
this elevator or carrier are a railway
track and scales. for no one vineyard
could supply such winery as this, and
grapes are shipped here from all over the
neighborhood by cars, in small boxes.
open topped and holding about one
bushel. After weighing they are dumped
into large hopper and from thence are
conveyed to the top of the three-story
building into the crusher, which con-
sists of a set of iron rollers that reduce
them to a mash. Beneath this q reyolv
ing cylinder, filled with holes and a re-
volving fork or agitator throws out
the stems at one end Of the cylinder,
while the pulp and juice drop through
into an open shallow bin, from which
they flow, with little help. all over the
building in wooden, square pipe to the
vats beneath. which hold an average of
five tons or 1900 to 1000 gallons each.
There are about seventy-five of these
tanks, besides those used in the bonded
room and in the distillery, and there the
grape juice is allowed to remain until the
proper state of fermentation is reached
when it is drawn off at the bottom Of
each tank, filtered and manipulated for
the various grades OF wine-sweet or
sour-or brandy and vinegar.
The grapes used, and after much ex-
pensive experimenting found to be the
most profitable and most satisfactory.
are, first. the Berger. then the Zingandel.
the Mission. the Grenache, the mataro,
and the muscat, favored In the order
named, though many others are used,
with more or less success.
The California grape Is found SUPER
Tor In that no sugar is necessary, but
all the grades Of wine are made, and'the
matter. turned into alcohol