The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-09-09
THE GERMAN WINE INDUSTRY.
Report From the United states
Consul at AnnaberE.


John T. Winter. the United States Con
sal at AuHaberg, I'm q communication TO
the State Department dealing with the
German vine industry says
The wi1e-producirg states Of Germany
are the RheiuEeu. Bavarian Palatinate.
Baden. H,ssen, and Alsace. The Rheiu-
Sau is tract of land on the right bank
or the Rhine. extending from EItyiIIe 70
Eudesheim, twelve miles long and five
miles wide. Here are located the ceIe-
DRAFTED Grafcuberg. Steiabcrg. Marco
oTunn. ana Johauuisberg estates. Within
recent years. the wines OF the NGs,IIe
nave come very much into favor They
have delicate. aromatic flavor and are
considered very wholesome The best
qualities are the Brauueberg. Graach. and
FispoTt. The greatest winc-prOduclaG
districts are in Baden and AIsace. These
wines, however are Of a light quality and
are rarely exported, being chiefly con
stunned IN their respective districts.
Germany also produces very good
red wine i'm Assmauuhauscn and Obe~-
lugeiheim. on the Rhine. but the acreage
devoted 20 the culture Of this wine is so
small that only a limited percentage sold
under that name may be- said to have
been actually obtained from that locality
Germany imports vast quantities Of red
wine each year for mixing with wines Of
her own growth. In 1900 ass tons were
imported from Italy for this purpose.
Isis tons from France, I272 tons from
Greece. ASS tons from Austria-Hungary.
and alsS tons from Spain. These wines
were imported solely for mixing. and the
Fact gains In significance when we bear
Ia mind the duty OF s. per ton. In 1891
NOT l.. - g. COZ
red wine were mixed with the vintage Of
southern counties. American firms buy
ing German red wine for import cannot
be too careful in their selections Excel
lence Of quality Is incompatible with low
ness Of price Good AssInaunhausen and
Ober-lngeiheim red wine cannot be pur-
chased shorr Of SO and $50 per 100 bottles.
respectively.
Great Britain and the United States
are the largest consumers Of German
wine In 1900 nearly 500 tons OF the best
Rhine and MoseHe vintage were shipped
IN casks and bottles TO the United King
dom This is fully 1c0 per cent more than
ten years ago. IN 1883 the United States
purchased 400 tons Of various German
wines; In 1900 less JEan $500 tons. the ship
ments Of the Intervening years retaining
thu same general average.
The total wine export from Germany
in 1850 amounted 10 22lgJ tons in casks
and bottles together valued at 81 S54. 20
an increase OF 10 per cent over 1880 The
wine imports Of Germany vastly exceed
the exports In 1900 . 800 tons in casks.
valued at S9.2f4,40o. were imported ONLY
rs tons were imported in bottles
ne best wine years in Germany dur
ing the past decade were 1893. 1895 and
1877 From all reports. 1900 viii also prove
. 30. liz. q
best during the whole Of the nineteenth
century. and eXOrbitant prices are de-
manded for the Eheingau wines Of that
year Many dealers offer old wines from
the years 1911 20 1874 but American buy
tTs should be cautious in ordering any
wine older than 1874 II is true that old
Rhine wines retain delicious bouquet
but they acquire a dead. leathery taste in
time They are often prescribed by doc
tors as a good wine for patients IL must
also be borne in mind that Old wines are
kept in stock for the general purpose OF
mixing with other grades and qualities
Wine merchants often advertise for sale
So-caiIed historical wines. which have
been bought in the cellars Of some unfor-
tunate prince or noble family once en-
Joying affiuence and power. Such wines.
together with those which have won med
ais at exhibitions. are sold at enormous
prices, fully 100 per cent being paid for
the name These wines. h0WeVer-esDe-
cially the old wiues-are often wanting in
bouquet and favor. The table wines Of
a good year vintage viii cost from $500
10 $500 per 1000 bottles. The Auslese
wines sell on an average Of 81 per bottle
while the Cabinet and Cabinet AuSIesC
wines .uust -fIyIII 40 60 e. per bytur- res
pectively-
I'm buying wines il may be found
preferable 10 deal with Old-eStabliShed
houses which have their places of bust
ness in the Rhine country These firms
for the most part have their own vine
yards, and possess far better Opp0rtuui-
tics of buying advautaEeOUsIy than firms
located outside Of he wine region or iu
the coast cities
Some OF the most prominent wine
merchants are a. Wilhelm Hatteuhcim
RheinGau. T. J. NaIckeuberE. Worms.
Franz Graf jr-, Observation-Disclosures
Rhine r. J. KulImaun a Co. Frankfort
Ou-thc-Maiu- c. r ECCaTdI KreutZ-
mach. Bheinland- The aforementioned
firm enjoys the reputation Of having the
largest wine export 90 the United States
Americans touring Germany should visit
some of these wine estates The cellars
OF ola clciSters and castles are often used
as storage places the aiSI-S and alc0yrs
being filled with EIautic casks of wine
Germany also produces a very good
quality Of champagne ia 1860. 2U45 tons
valued AT S5fl- 100. We're exported During
the same year. the imports amounted 10
double that quantity. The duty ou cham
payne imported into Germany is o cents
a bottle This high duty has induced
macy French firms 10 establish plants Of
their own within the German border