The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-19
Reserve stock I'm Most of the Estab.
lishments Is Beginning to Run
Very Low.
A TALK WITH J. L. SNEWIND
HE SAYS THE CONDITION OF AT
FAIRS is PECULIAR.
An interesting Discussion Of Wine
Making and Other Features
of the Trade.

Local wine merchants as we'll as those
all over the United States are becoming
somewhat alarmed over the fact that in
the last three years there has practically
been no grape crop, which naturally
makes the production of wine very limit
ed. Most of the large establishments that
have continued business and fur
nished wine at the prices which have been
in vogue have done so because they have
had a large reserve stock in their cellars.
and have not felt the shortage of crops to
any extent. At the present, however, this
reserve stock in all of the establishments
Is beginning to run low, and even those
who had on hand an extra large stock
cannot depend upon 1t more than a year or
two at the most. just what means will
be resorted to when the old stock gives
out is not known, but it is hoped that in the
next year or so the grape crop will be
much improved over what it recently has
been. 1t is undoubtedly true that the price
of wines will advance considerably over
what they are at the present time.
With the production of wine 1t is differ
ent from anything else because all wine
that is considered any thing at all must
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any quality and also the grapes from which
it is made must be of a good variety.
Therefore with the very poorest wines on
the market the age of from one year to
FIVE has to be given them before they can
be sold. Anything else can be produced
and offered to the consumers at once, so
IL there is a shortage from any cause for
one year it will not materially injure the
l.~s- = xL-~~o~ IA 49, .Io -,-o a
is not extraordinary if ten or twenty years
are let pass before it is put UP for sale.
The old saying of there are tricks in all
trades" don't apply to the ageing of wine,
for nothing artificial can be used, and the
only thing that can be done is to let ma
ture take it's course. 1t can easily be
seen that it will take a number of good
years to mane up the crops of grapes
that have been lost in the last few years.
and there is no way of reckoning how long
it will be before the stock Of choice wines
will be replenished as they were prior TO
these bad crops.
PECULIAR CONDITION.
When asked abolt these prevailing con-
ditions. ]. L. Snewind. the manager of a
local wine house. said: There is certainly
a peculiar condition of affairs now existing
in the wine business. and it is entirely
brought about by the failure of the grape
crop in the last three years. During this
time in what is known as the wine belt,
which comprises the States of California,
New York and Ohio, there has been scarce
ly any output of wine at all compared
to what it formerly was. OF course, of
these States California produced more
grapes than all the rest put together. What
will be the outcome of this existing condi-
ton is hard to say, only that many of the
smaller dealers will be forced completely
out of business because they have no cell
lars in which to preserve reserve stock, and
they nave to depend entirely upon outside
concerns for their wine. OF course when
the time comes and the reserve stock of all
of the establishments is entirely consumed
an old cellar filled with choice wine may
be unearthed somewhere. There is one
thing certain, whatever remedy is used the
the price will be greatly advanced.
"One who is not thoroughly acquainted
with the wine business can little realize
how difficult 1t Is to supply the demand for
domestic wines after a few short crops and
one has disposed of all his old stock. You
understand that for the last few years,
with the exception of a few cities along Inc
Atlantic coast. the entire demand for wine
has been supplied by domestic production.
Where formerly foreign wines were de-
manded by everyone now there is scarcely
any call for them at all. 1t has been found
after years of experiment that in this coun-
try as fine wines can be produced as any
where. The great advantage that we have
over the foreigner is that we can produce
all of the varieties over here, while he is
confined absolutely to the production of the
variety peculiar to his own locality. AS 1t
is, at the present time a person can get
domestic wine of as fine flavor and equally
as pure as any foreign product there is at
a much less cost. There is, however, a
certain class of people who have drunk
foreign wines for such a length of time that
1t is hard to convince them that there is any
In this country equally as good; but there
is to-day a fewer number of people using
imported wines than ever before, and those
who still adhere to their use are gradually
breGking away and takirs up the Ameri-
can wines. These same people who have
heretofore claimed that the imported wines
are the only ones that contain. medicinal
properties are now beginning to realize
that the native wines are so cured that
they contain natures greatest tonics and
are most beneficial to the health.
LOCAL WINE DRINKERS.
''While the wine drinkers of indianapolis
are not as numerous as in many places,
they hold up to their part of the trade
very well. There are not many extensive
private wine cellars in this city, but there
are a few people who are collectors of rare
wine, just as there are of old paintings
and other antique things, who reside here.
These men are always on the lookout for
wines OF rare vintage and flavor. They are
most enthusiastic over the subject, and
will pay almost any price Cor rare old
goods. OF course. a man to he a wine COL
lector has to have money. for IL is certainly
a very expensive fad to acquire, for wines
of the vintage such as these men desire
cost large sums of money In New York
and Chicago men OF this class are very
common, many OF them own large wine
cellars. and they devote much time and
money to the collection OF wines from all
over the world. 1t does not matter to them
where the wine is produced, just so IL is
of the right age and is made from grapes
of the most select vintage.
The wines OF Europe come from three
sections. which are really the great Euro