The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-03-01

Prince AIbert's Purchase Cannot BE
Said 10 Establish Record.

To the owner Of even the most valuable
landed property on this continent, mining
property alone excepted, the news that
Prince Albert OF Prussia, has purchased
the Wilhelmi vineyard at the rAre OF
$500 an ace. will have seemed gross
exaEgeratiou. II not worse. There IS not,
anywhere within the United States, an
agricultural property for which any such
price would be paid.
Nevertheless two foreign members OF
the wholesale wine trade in New York.
and one man prominently connected with
the California wine industry. when asked
about the credibiity of tae report. saw
nothing extravagant in it, California
vineyards 1t is true, have never been
bought or sold at very high prices as
vineyards; the wine producing industry OF
that state has generally begun with the
cultivation Of what had been virgin soil
and little Of Ii has changed owners since
IL began to be used FOR its present pur-
pose. But the first remark. in the case OF
both the foreign experts, was: The Jo-
hanneshurg vineyards would sell a good
deal higher than that"
Both the Johannesburg and the Marco
brunn wine lands. IN the latter Of which
the Wihelmi vineyard lies are in the
Rheingau--the small district from which
the cream OF the famous Rhine wines
come The johannesburg vineyards are
mostly the property Of Prince Aetternich,
TO whose ancestor; the famous diplomat
OF the congress OF Vienna. they We're pre-
scented by his imperial master Francis
Joseph OF Austria. To understand the
enormous values Of these lands on basis
of simple arithmetic Ii Is only necessary
to know that the average production OF
an acre OF Rheingau vineyard being about
200 gallons, half stick" OF Rheingau
wine "StenbergeF Cabinet" of vintage
OF 1898 sold for I 500 marks or about 81
600. A half stick contains i6o gallons so
that the product in this particular case
OF less than one acre for one year brought
in Is per cent OF the price OF one acre
in Prince Alhert's recent sensational pur-
chase. Bat even this achievement was
less astonishing than that Of the vintage
OF 1865 from The same vineyard, 1850 gall
Ions of which brought more than $500.
Everybody knows that the quality OF the
wine made from the same vines varies
with the year IL is not so generally un-
derstood that wine is to some degree a
work OF art, and varies in excellence with
the SKIN and care exhibited in the maxi
ing of It. This fact IS one OF the most
hopeful topics for those interested IN the
production Of American wines. which IL
Is said by those qualified TO predict, is GER
tain TO improve in quality as the men en-
gagged In the Industry gather experience
Stil the grape itself is admitted 10 be
the principal fsctor In the production. and
there H. no end to the mystery OF the in
huences which combine TO make one little
patch Of grape producing land scveufOld
more valuable than another bit next TO IL.
In the Rothsohild vineyard for example.
near Bordeaux. a wagon road of very
moderate width Ia all that separates the
finest spot in the vineyard from a tract
which is comparatively Valueless- Both
these pieces OF ground enjoy jne same AS
pect and exposure and apparently are II
the same chemical composition. II Is easy
or ANY tell mr. "a ngu
land Is unit for grape growing. but be-
youd saying that grapes can be grown on
IT, no grower theoretical or practical
can say anything as to the probable quail
ity OF the wine which amy given piece u
land will produce This uncertainty leav-
ing, as # does, the grape growing and
wine making art after aH these centuries
in stage hardin beyond emplricism gives
the industry some OF the excitement Of
gambling New York Tribune