Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-31
THE VINEYARDS OF LONDON.
Their Output is characterized as HOr-
rible and Deadly.

Today is the first day of Che wine fakir.
Never before in the history of the trade
have his devices been so numerous and his
cuncoctions so villainous Never before.
too. have his profits been more satisfactory.
So long there IS a demand for full-boded
"Burgundies' and 'clarets'' at. say, Is.
dozen, that demand will be supplied.
There is a vast difference between fabri-
Gated and adulterated wine. The latter is
generally pretty easy to deal with Fabri-
Gated wine IS far more difficult OF detection.
Here We have connection of a more or
less chemical nature, which is designed with
the express idea of closely initiating the
genuine wine, in color, bouquet and
taste. One favorite fabrication consists of
M per cent Of water, 512 per cent of alcohol
and AZ per cent of tannin. The two latter
ingredients obtained from the cheapest
form of imported rasins.
squeezed grape husks which have already
squeeze grape husks which have already
done genuine service in some French wine
press. They cost next to nothing to import
refermented here in England, and their
: Juice Is eked out with the aid of tartaric
acid and mOlaSSeS. Consequently the maker
is enabled to sell his connection at the rdic-
ulously low price of about Is. ID per gal
Ion. and at the same time to make an ex-
cellert profit upon the transaction. Much
OF this beverage first sees the light in or
near London.
The retailer sells it again at about 2s Cd
per gallon; or, if bottled and beautifully
sealed and cobwebbed, at the considerably
enhanced price of, say, sixpence per pint
bottle--"Our famous is. claret''
particularly pungent revelation of the
beauties of certain British light wines
was Afforded the food preservatives COM
mttee by Prof. w. H Corfield. This scien-
fist. who IS consulting sanitary adviser to
H. NJ office Of works stated that he COM
monty found salcylic acid in these win
tages-" Salicylc acid. added he for the ben
eft Of his non-scientihc hearers, was a
slightly acrd irritating substance which
was niue hin demand among afflicted people
as a corn solvent!
A fabricated sherry which can be sold at
good profit for Is. a bottle, is prepared
from cider-and more noxious things.
Champagne" which is also better left un-
touched is prepared by the willy fabricator
Whatever the shortcomings of the British
wine fakir. and they are many, 1t Is certai n
sthat for sheer audacity he must yield tbe
palm to his Teutonic competitors. In the
city of Hamburg alone 1t is possible to pur-
chase limitations of practically every wine
and spirit under the sun. at prices before
which the British wine fakir must stand
aghast.
With spirits. however, the palate is bet
ter guide A British East India house was
recently offered. by Hamburg exporters.
brandy at IS. 1Od. This is the sort Of poison
of which Germany annually supplies up
ward OF a millions worth to the Niger
Coast Protectorate. The liquor is the most
villainous potato spirit. carefully disguised
by strong essences and sham labels.
France is not less culpable. She only pro-
duces about 1900 hectoliters of genuine
French brandy. yet she exports about $50,
90 hectoliters, in addition to the 1900, O0O
consumed in her own land,
During the past few months. however
consumer Of alcohol has been brought face
to face with yet another fearful source for
his favorite beverages. ThankSxto the euer-
getic researches of DR.. Smonsen of Chris
tiania It is now possible TO produce alcohol
from both paper and sawdust.