The record-union., 1899-09-24
THE CULTURE OF The
GRAPE IN CALIFORNIA
(By Professor George Hussmann.)

(By Professor George Hussmann)
Grape culture in California is COM
paratively new industry, and many les
sons had to be learned before its pres
ent status could be attained. The
vicissitudes attending the progress OF
grape culture in California have re-
suited mostly from not fully UNDER
standing, in the first place, When the
industry was in it's infancy, the varied
soil and climatic conditions pecullar TO
the State. In order TO see ana 1uiy
appreciate the nature of the mistakes
made, the history of the Industry must
be understood The missionary 1aIners
planted the first vineyards on irrigated
soil. They instructed and employed
the Indians attached to and dependent
upon the Missions in the cultivation OF
these vineyards, in which but one va
riety of the European grape was used,
still known as the Mission" though
often enormously called California" "
While the exact origin of this grape is
yet in doubt it is unquestionahly of the
European species Wits vinifera, but
whether grown from seed or from cut
tings brought from Spain has not been
determined The Mission, altogether
different from the native wild vine,
Wits California;, is evidently a sherry
grape and as such it is now used.
THE FIRST WINE MAKING.
1t was not until the gold excitement
had somewhat subsidized, that some Ger
man and French pioneers began to
give attention to grape culture and to
make and handle wine Systematically.
Up to this time wine was mostly kept
and transported in skins of rawhide, as
in olden times. 1t may be said, there
fore. that the industry as such is hard
ly fifty years old. Up to 1880 the
Mission continued to be almost the
only grape cultivated, and most of the
vineyards and wine cellars were clus-
tered around Los Angeles. The fact
was made clear, however, that Euro
pean grape, which could not be culti-
waited with success in the Eastern
States, had found a congenial home on
the Pacific Coast. The important
points lost sight Of on the other hand,
We're that rainless summers produced
a fruit very high in sugar, and that
the wines made from it were heavy and
heady The French and German vint-
ters fell into the error of letting the
grapes hang until they were ripe, as
was the custom in their native coun-
tries, where they could hardly obtain
a thoroughly ripened product except in
the best of seasons. In California the
fruit, which came to full maturity ev-
cry year. contained so much sugar that
it could hardly be converted into sound.
palatable wine by fermentation, and
the result very often was milk-sour.
hi0l 4Eyp-
as already stated, heavy and heady in
quality. Naturally such wines did not
find favor with connoisseurs. Claret
especially, made from the Mission
grape, was deficient in color and acid
a sorry beverage, indeed. This venture
into the market gave the wines of Cali
fornia their first setback. Another in
furious practice was that of selling the
entire product OF cellars or wineries.
good, bad and Indifferent at an aver
age price. The dealer, having invest
ed his money, had to devise means to
get it back; and thus many poor wines,
which injured the reputation of the
young industry, were sold. The method
was an easy and lucrative way for the
dealer to dispose of his wnoie crop;
but it has worked an injury to the in
dustry, which continues even now.
FIRST ERA OF THE INDUSTRY. 8
The success with the Mission en-
cOuraged the planting of vineyards, and
as the men who had embarked in the
industry soon saw the deficiencies Of
that grape, exertions were made TO in
troduce better varieties from Europe.
Among the foremost to embark in this
laudable enterprise was Colonel Agos-
ton Haraszthy, who made an extended
investigation of the vineyards of Eu-
rope and introduced the best varieties
he could find Messrs. Gunlach &
Dresel of Sonoma also imported choice
varieties from the Rhine at great cost,
even for that period of difficult and ex-
pensive transportation. All of these
impOrtations succeeded in so favorable
a climate, though many of e<choice
varieties proved shy bearers under the
system of short pruning, "stool fash
ion," which had been followed with the
Mission, and for that reason they were
neglected. When a longer system OF
pruning was adopted, these same
choice varieties yielded good returns
and formed the basis for better wines.
This may be called the first or trial
era Of the young industry, extending
from 1855 to 1873, at which time wines
and grapes fell to a price so low that
they would not pay for the picking,
and in many cases hogs We're turned
into the vineyards to utilize the crop.
But still some of the wines, especially
the finer grades, found favor and
created a demand which exceeded the
supply. Then, however, began the sale