The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-05
VINE IN GREAT ABUNDANCE
Continental Europe Sure of an
Enormous Supply.


RseS-CoOpers Making Fortunes.
The Present Season RemnrISnbIe
Continental Europe is rejoicing this year
over a phenomenal vintage There has
not been such a crop in the vineyards
since 1875. In some districts the Weld per
acre is even greater than il that memo
rable year. In France some of the wine
growers are actually giving away the
grapes or allowing them TO decay for lack
Of receDtaclos for the juice Barrels can
not be turned out fast enough. In the
Bordeaux region empty casks are selling
for $ apiece, and fun cask of new wine
IS being traded for two empty ones.
Grapes can be bought in two-thirCIs of
the producing departments of the
Republic for So a ton. In other depart
ments the price is often below this: rarely
a dollar or TWO more. For the first time
in quarter of a century is seer again
the custom of permitting anybody TO enter
the cUviers or press-houses and drink all
the new wine he or she can within . few
minutes for one cent Only the old grow
ers remember such d yield in the wine
districts
II is largely due TO the more exact
scientific knowledge attained by viticul-
tUrists Of measures for successfully com
against which for years the growers have
been struggling bTaveIy. sometimes al
most il despair. In the worst districts
the vineyards have been reyitalized by
grating with American plants In all of
them improved methods of cultivation
have been adopted. which mitigate extern
siveIy against the spread Of the scourse
This year the season has been exception
ally favorable to maturing the grapes 10
rife ion md TfFlF
OF the improved methods Of cultivation
is brought out Even in backward Spain
and Portugal there ara few tracts of vine
growing ianu where improved methods
have not been adopted, and IN Germany.
Austria. and Hungary, where still great
er energy has been manifested. the mis-
chief caused by the vine pest IS almost
eradiCated with the result that the wine
production Of Eastern Europe is larger
this year than IL ever was in the memory
Of old growers. Within i've years il is
confidently predicted all the vineyards
OF Europe will have been reconstructed
and then an era of cheap wines may be
expected here. the like OF which has not
been seen before
The only pity about 1t is that we viii
have TO wait. II viii be two years any
way, so the wine importers say. before
the full effect of this years plethora is
felt in this country. There VIII be some
adherence. of course. for all of the yint-
ages of I6SS and 1893 that remain in the
hands OF the producers abroad are being
cleared out at reduced rates in view of
:.
the duties and the cost Of transportation.
which are the chief items affecting the
pTice or vine here, VIII not be affected,
ana the difference will be insignificant
In from two TO i've years the market will
feel the fun effect Of this vintage
france Is the greatest WiIc-pr0ducing
country still though her competitors.
Spain, Germany, Austria Hungary. and
italy, and now America and Australia
nave crept closer IL competition with her
IN tne last twenty years. and il is a
TACT that while the annual cunsUrnatfon
OF wine under Bordeaux labels has Deen
e,.yJIg hecJoiltres- or little less than
1.5WF-oy3 gallons. the annual production
OF the Bordeaux district I'd 10 this year
mas been less than half THAI amount The
vineyard acreage of France after great !
Nec1ae IS again on the increase though
that IS not the cause OF the abundance /
this Year
As early as 40 the French area under
vines amounted TO 100000 acres Nv
1>i5- hundred years later. this had in
creased more than threefold- Then came
eIe pnElioXera and the long and aouar-
entiJ hopeless struggle against the III ght !
and al The present time the acreage
amounts 70 less than +51V,JtU That tn
production Of wine in France this wear l. /
Al least equal to that Of $50 q memoir
able year OF abundance TO European vine
growers. shows how remarkably the fer
il.IE q she vines las been increa Sed
" hen the whole Of France has been re
I,laHIed SuThc5eEt length Of time To al |
low tn full eject Of rehabilitation Cf rhe /
E-i4+S'FoS 70 ne let the production is
likely 70 be phenomenal annually ana !
vine VIII be brought more closely INTO I
competition with malt liquors tfan it I,
At the present time the popular wine |
almost the world over. according to the /
laiFst statistics. IS claret. and il Is in I
claret that the abunda nee is greatest This /
year On the estate Of Chateau Loud Yrlt- !
alone this years yield Is 1870 hoEsheads /
OF s1.vet gallons. which Is nearly half q I
million bottles This production from one
estate alone gives some idea OF the re- /
marfsable fecuudity Of the vines This
II -fw-g-~ = H. D
great that the cuviers are wholly insrei
Gent 10 handle the grapes. II is C.lfrioTlS
- note n the claTet districts now Il last
new InethoGs have invaded even the max
ing OF red wine, for centuries the mogr
conservative Of Industries. For q ges tha-a I
mas Deen iii now only The che Tnc:n1F !
Transmitted from father to son .yerera {
uon after generation Il was thar OF rha (
VINE press OF antlquIty the treadfua o1Ir I
- ~ lhF 5qIce OF Inc grapes with the naked I
i ~ mn loot Inc juice thus trodde1 out
IN the press ran into the vat into vvbirE
F ems aAd stalks were afterward thrown
ioE the whole to feTment together
That Is all changed nov, in tbe moro
HLDdeTh VINE chateaus OF France The
grapes as they are brought from the
f4i4eS ara n bullock carts are hoiSted by
- e--eS N the great tubs which contain
ILivih 70 an upper floor Of the vat house ( I
J ne presslors-shaped Ike vast trays-
are run along on rails 10 receive thar
IoaQa OF grapes They are then r1Tn bacl-
N 'front.' OF one or other OF the vafs Zach ,
containing about fifty hossheads, Pace :
of
doDrS the number Of whom can thus he ,
greatly increased IN the watts the Cranes :
instead Of being trUdden are now EeDT .
as hh0le as possible and are IeFr 10 hya1.tr ,
UP nH1er the action Of Fermentation ~~F,a
ifdlt IS separated from the stalks ~, :
means OF rakes and the stalks arc nCt
l,Gt INTO the vat The men who scyarate ;
tie grapes from The Stalks --rrter ~
press oaFefooLed as Of old hr7r Tho 40 I
LloJ tread the fruit. The S+r4-ario, 81 .
LfulI and stalks. the Wine a--a1.,ars -, :
nave ADOPTED the new method say f-i,-ess :
t4S VINE SoftueSS' unknown 1lT,Iar h. [ !;
oid system They haven't the argument /
al lheiF o"a way, however Many Of r
the growers cling 10 the old STYLE or vine =
MAKING Ihey maintain that nothing bgS J =
ever heel Invented that EQUALS rra - ! :
71te o. the human foot in vine Te+I-iu,. y
aAu AoJhlns ever VIII IL brings th.. Color / p
1gt OF Inc grape skins they maintain
y flch ADDS 10 the beauty Of The wine and ?
also extracts the 5aDuin. which Es r,-..es- / q
49, only llrne and experience viii de- q
-ide whether the old method or m - :
: really the best. though on the D0iul nc ;
tdFihs the stalks out Of the must in \
process Of fermentation many Of tbr old ;,
ashlonec wine makers are Welding 4
al lHat Tails 10 the bottom Of tn. vat / :
" IN -eTIiietltatlon Is complete is pressed ( I
u n special machine made for The rrr I :
JCSt- ne Hglpr resulting Is not rnIxed 1 {.
s-tll mat which has already been drawn Z s.
III however The latter makes IT, grand =
VA thaJ extracted by the latter process {.
s soid cheap!y and IS used in th. manu-
acture Of inferior stuff.
IN the Burgundy districts this wear tho
-Ield IS only second TO that IN the crgret
g 10 HHaT H.HH.HF