The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-04-14
WINE GRAPES MAY BE GROWN
Expert Grape and Wine Man After
Investigation Says That Northwest
Climate and Soil Exccls.

Quality wine grapes that will sue
cessfully rival with the best products
from the Rhine, Moselle and Pfals
districts in Germany and with the
Bordeaux, Gironde and Medoc in
France can be grown IN many parts
of eastern Washington, northern Ida
no and northeastern Oregon, where
the dreaded pest. the phylloxera. can
not exist because of the sandy loam."
Albert Angermayer, for five years
superintendent and cellarmaster in
California wineries and vineyards, be-
fore which he was engaged in the
wine industry in the famed grape
districts in Germany, says this in a
letter from Portland to the Spokane
chamber of commerce. He has init
| mate knowledge of the Inland En-
| pire having travelled six months in
| 1907 as an expert to spy out lands
| suitable for the raising of quality
| wines in the interest of an Alaskan
| millionaire
| My trips were successful and
more than satisfactory Mr.. Anger
mayer adds, but the financial crisis
| at the close of 1907 brought the large
enterprise to a quick end and the
buying Of lands and the establish
ment of vineyards had to be aban-
doned.
81 am thoroughly convinced that
the quality winegrape, also the suit
able table grape cultivation in Wash
ington. Idaho and Oregon would in a
comparatively short time be so enor-
mously successful and profitable, that
1t would be in the lead of all other
fruit varieties by expert treatment in
the vineyard and time of harvesting
in winery and cellar it would achieve
| a worldwide fame"
| To show that the grapes grown in
| the Inland Empire are far ahead Of
the California product for wine max
ing Mr.. Angermayer says that every
pure white or red wine made in that
state leaves vinegary taste. adding:
THE European connoisseur and
every one with the senses of taste and
smell know that healthy wine dare
not taste or smell after vinegar.
| Many of the wine merchants and wine
producers. especially the large houses,
know exactly what is the cause. but
in their own interest they cannot be-
tray it to the public. Most wholesale
warehouses employ experienced cell
lermasters usually with a knowledge
of chemistry, who try to reduce this
vinegar smell and taste in the pure
wine. because until now there is no
remedy known for the entire benish-
ing without greatly damaging the
wine.
THE shrewd wholesale wine mer-
chant. and the experienced wine
grower in California knows very well
that he can never produce real,
qualitive pure wine. TOR which he
would receive the highest prices, sim
liar to those paid for the European
product. For this reason, they aim at
getting large quantities. Thus il is
easier for him to reduce the strong
vinegary smell and taste in the Cali
fornia dry wines, by blending with
other fermented artificial wines made
from husks of grapes, raisirs and
sugar and much water, that can be
manufactured cheaply at all seasons,
ready for the market in from two to
three weeks. without tasting or smell
ing after vinegar.
Every grape. apple, berry or other
wine smelling or tasting after vinegar
will in time. according to the cooler
or warmer storing and air admission
caused through the immense and
quick increase of the vinegar fungus.
become pure vinegar. In most of the
California wine cellars are none, or
only very little quantities of white or
red wines to be found older than a
few months or years. l know firms
in whose cellars are continually i'm
mense quantities of wines. composed
of water sugar, raisins, tartar acid,
glycerine. small fraction of pure
wine. manufacture in three weeks,
ripe for bottling, Id and shipped
weekly often in teral carloads.
1T is com prehensible that Cali
fornia very much prefers being ~
wineland than vinegarland but il is
hard to fight against facts and against
nature.
you will be astonished to hear
that this vinegar smell and taste in
most of the California wines originates
from the otherwise so appraised and
favora ble-climate. At the maturing
and harvesting time of the winegrape
1t is still very warm in NEST all Cali
fornian winegrape cultivation dis
tricts, so that the mashed grapes or
ment in the open air, rapidly causing
vinegar fungus. before they are put
into tanks. into which large quanti-
ties of mashed grapes can not be sufii-
GENTLY shut off from atmospheric air
during the eight to IA days continuing
tempestuous main fermentation.
THE fermentation of the white
grapes cider and of the mashed red
grapes also even of the storing of
the older wines, is done mostly on the
ground floor in cheaply constructed
sheds, instead of in underground cell
lars, of even temperature like in
Germany.
During my stay of five years in
California as superintendent and Gel
larmaster in different vineyards and
orchards. / had the best opportunity
to become thoroughly acquainted with
the native table and wine grapes Gull
tivation wineries and cellars. also to
nuke comparisons with the world