The San Francisco call., 1910-02-13
wine SITUATION
IN FOREIGN LANDS
UnfavOrabie Weather Injuries
the Crops in Many Eu-
rOpean Countries
Other Nations, Including Spain
and Australia, Will Have
Bumper Productions

From an article in the London Times,
covering the vintage of 1893 the fol-
lowing statistics of the wine product of
the several countries are complied:
In almost every wine growing coun-
try of Europe the producer continues TO
suffer from a superabundance OF wlne'
consequent upon the dlfhculty OF md
ing a market at remunerative rates. for
the increased quantity which is every
where being grown and accumulated,
while the prices except for the very
choice descriptions, are being brought
down TO the point where il Will no
longer pay the farmer in the less Ia
vored districts 10 grow grapes, and the
vine must In the course of time, give
way TO the production of cereals or
other more salabIe produce. The de-
crease in the consumption of wines in
/ ENGLAND continues. and is now only one
quart per head per annum, against
double that quantity a few years ago
More than nine tenths of the wine pro-
dueed in the world is of the kind de
scribed as eight" or natural" such Is
is known under the names of claret.
sauterne chablis. burgundy. etc.
When il is remembered that 40 .000,
GOO of the inhabitants of France con-
sumo. on an average. more than 100
quarts of wine per capita per annum,
and that so. 100000 gallons are exported
annually. it becomes apparent how
enormous is the total production in
France and what great financial in
terests depend upon. a good vintage.
Really fine clarets We're only produced
in one district, while all other parts OF
the country suffered from the worst
grape gathering of recent times-an
event almost without precedent. In
nine of the leading chateau estates,
famed for their ciaret, only $.O3t hobs
heads were produced IN 1903 against
3.774 and $500 hOgsheads in 1905 and
1907. respectively.
The wines of the Sauterne district
suffered much more, or account OF the
unfavorabIe weather conditions, than
those of Medoc. while Burgundy viii
not produce half crop In both guam
tity and quality champagne is below
the avera sc. The gathering was hurried
on account of the humidity, but the
number of available hands was not
enough to cope with the special cir
cumstances. The vintage in the prov
ince of AnjOU, famous for its sparkling
wines began with the gathering of the
grapes under the most unprCpitiOUs
circumstances, and the subsequent bad
weather deprecated the whole vintage
A cold spring did a great deal of harm
in Cognac. and rainy summer allowed
the mildew and Oidium TO spread, but
it is expected that the quality of the
brandy will be good. What speaks
volumes as to the shortage of the
vintage in France is that contracts
have already been made for shipments
from Algeria, admitted free of duty
of the bulk of this years crop. which
is valued at not less than S50000.000.
In Algeria the quantity of wine pro-
duced in 1903 Will fully equal the
average of the last three years viz.
176OO0.O 600 gallons The quality of this
years wine is excellent.
The production of hooks and mOselles
in Germany. on the whole. is extremely
small owing TO cold and rainy weather,
The proportion TO full crop is as
follows: Rhenish Hesse, One-fourth to 4
a half. Rheingau. half to three =
fOurths, Palatinate and MOselle. a
third to a half. Germany is the only
wine growing country in Europe that
does not produce wine enough for home
consumption and export. There can not
be any excellence in the quality of this
years vintage.
In Portugal the quantity produced
and the quality thereof is less and in
ferior to that of last season. but the
stocks of Older wines are exceptionally
large.
The AndaIusian sherry vintage of
Spain was gathered in splendid con-
ditiOn and yielded more juice than in
average years-the total production
being greater than last season. The
wine produced by the gra fled Jeroz
specimens of vine on the American ri
paria stocks are showing very well.
which is a cause OF satisfaction To the
growers. In Tarrag gOna the yield is
fairly abundant but the wine is de-
ficient in strength, color and vinosity.
In italy the crop is considerably less
than for the two previous years. which
We're phenomenal years. but was equal
to an average vintage. The quality is
good. In Marsala the quality of the
wine is very good. and the quantity
a fourth larger than the previous year.
owing to the replanted vineyards haV-
ing begun TO yield.
The quality of the Madeira wine pro-
dueed will be exceptionally fine The
total yield viii probably reach 5000
pipes
In Austria Hungary the quantity of
wine produced will scarcely be more
than half that of last year. and the
quality viii not be so good as that OF
the last few years.
notwithstanding the damage by the
phyIloXera, the vintage in Australia
will be very large one there being
an increase in Victoria of 10000 gallons
over last year and in South Australia
an increase of 1.OO0 600 gallons The
Rutherglen district is one of the most
important to the English market as il
supplies big wines entirely suitable
to the British palate
Consul John Fl. Grout of Odessa fur
nishes the following information con-
cerning grape growing and wine pro-
ductiOn in Russia.
Bessarabia. the province in south
Russia. which is annually gaining in
wine production. had grape crop in
1909 far below the average quantity,
but owing TO the late warm weather IN
the autumn nearly all the better quail
tiles of grapes for wine making at
tanned degree OF ripeness which does
not occur every year. and high quail
ity of vintage is the result.
POdOIia is one of the last provinces
that has begun to grow grapes on a
commercial scale The quantity grown
is not large. but the industry is in
strong hands The seasons crop is
satisfactory.
KhersOn province does not produce
grapes or wine as extensively as might
be expected from its geographical pO-
sitiOn. The reason for this lies i'm the