The San Francisco call., 1898-12-20
THE ADULTERATED WINE.


 ITGS indeed to be lamented that there is general admission of the fact that the wine seized in Mex A leo was treated with salcylc acid and 1t is de- porable that attempt Is made to conceal respons- bity and to justify the adulteration.
 One of the men connected with the organization which supplied this condemned shipment and which controls the in wines, after laying 1t the country vintners and declaring it impossible to test all the wines shipped By bis association, says there is no harm in saicyc acid, anyway, and that must be used in young wines sent into the Mexican climate. The earlier authorities do not assign pois- onous principles to sacyc acid. It IS the active chemical principle found in the bark and leaves of the willow, the saix," from which 1t derives its name It IS not confined to the willow, however, but IS found in the oil of wntergreen and other vegetable substances, and also n some minerals. Its effect Is to arrest fermentation It used to arrest the natu ral and necessary lamentations in dry wines, to put them the market as aged wines, when, in fact, they are young, raw, crude and unwhoesome. Various chemical authorities are referred to by the wine man we have quoted in proof of his assertion that this drug is harmless, and in the same breath he speaks of its young wines? For what pur pose? Obviously for no other than to arrest the cleansing process of fermentation which makes them fit for use If salicylic acid were harmless as rain in itself, but by arresting fermentation left wine loaded with the organic matter which is dangerous to life, its is fatal to health and against the law The chemical opinion of its benign in catsup is quoted, if the fermentation of wine and catsup were analogous. The fermentation of catsup is de- leterious and destructive. It to cleanse and purify, but to render unwhoesome, and therein is exactly the reverse of the natural fermentation of wine. Therefore the same agent which would sup press fermentation in both would made the wine dangerous to health, but leave the casup innocuous and wholesome, provided the agent itself non toxic
 The wine men defend the use of this drug by de- claring that drinker gets of 1t in glass of beer than in gallon of wine. Perhaps these apoo- gsts are not aware that life insurance companies are more afraid of the modern beer drinker, and shy from him oftener as risk than of the confirmed con sumer of straight whisky. This not the case der the old system of low brewed beer, ripened in months of storage in the cellars
 The modern beer drnker is subject to troubles of the liver and kidneys to Brights disease, diabetes, nephrts and similar ills, and if 1t be true that modern beer IS treated with salicylic acid to age prematurely, only another reason against using this drug IS supplied
 We cannot avoid the feeling that the tone assumed by the wine in discussing this incident is de- plorably damaging to California wine interests It
 
 State and the central plateau of Mexico makes neces sary the of this acid in wines to preserve them Ii they properly aged and ermented they need such treatment, or if they do they should not be sent where they require it. market should be sought where they can be used in their pureSt and best state and they should be there in that state and in other.
 They should be aged that is to say, be cleansed by natural fermentation, and should not go to the con- sumer until that process is finished.
 It is evident that greed, graspng for the price of cid wine for young is responsible for this incident ill Mexico. Greed not long ago, mixed five barrels of young California brandy with eighty barrels of raw high wines only two months out of Nebraska dis tlery, and about twenty-five barrels of water and coloring and favoring drugs, and branded 1t "od California Grape brandy and the Collector of the Port in San Francisco with knowledge of its make up, officially connived at its shipment to England under that lying brand.
 Ii these things are to go on, the vineyards of this State may well be grubbed out for in few years no will touch California wine or brandy Some missionary should go and preach to the wine association that commercial honor is commendable altogether and that to admit, depore and justify in breath the adulteraton of wine is destructive of trade.