Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/453

AMERICAN WINES 421 Buena Vista company in the Sonoma valley, which contains 450 acres and 306,000 vines. The same valley, which is very beautiful, shel- tered against the winds, and free from fog, also Contains the Ehine farm, laid out by Mr. Jacob Gundlach, in company with Mr. Emil Dresel. Gen. B. D. Wilson of San Gabriel has also 260 acres in vines. The total number of vines growing in California at the opening of 1870 was 22,548,315. The counties most actively engaged in grape-growing are Los Angeles, 4,000,000 vines in 1870; Sonoma, 3,250,000; Sacramento, 1,718,914; Amador, 1,683,000; El Dorado, 1,357,895; Solano, 1,128,000; Santa Clara, 1,000,000. In 1868, 2,676,550 gallons of wine and 161,015 of brandy were produced. According to local authori- ties, the wine yield of the state for 1870 was from 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 gallons, although the federal census of that year gives only 1,814,656. The "Wine Dealers' Gazette" esti- mates the produce of 1871 at 5,000,000; others place it as high as 7,000,000 or 8,000,000. The aggregate value of the vintage of Califor- nia, including $400,000 as the cash value of grapes marketed for other purposes than wine making, may be put down at $2,500,000. The kinds of wines produced in California are as follows: 1. White Wines. The California Hock is of a bright straw color, somewhat variable in bouquet and quality, according to the place of growth, varieties of grapes used, and the skill of the producer ; but it is gene- rally far stronger, more fiery and apt to intoxi- cate the unwary than the Khine wine. It is smoother, but has little of the exquisite bou- quet of the Rhine wines, and their enliven- ing and exhilarating qualities. Of all the wines of California, this is most consumed in the Atlantic states, and is sometimes sold as Rhine wine. The Port, principally raised in Los Angeles, is dark red, strong and sweet, very probably made so by the addition of sugar and alcohol, like its European namesake. An- gelica is a sweet wine, a favorite among ladies. It is not a pure wine, as alcohol, distilled from grapes, is added to it, and it is therefore a much stronger wine than many suppose. Madeira, sherry, muscatel, and claret are all made, but only in smaller quantities, and not highly es- teemed. 2. Sparkling Wines. The brothers Sansevain first undertook to make sparkling wines in 1837, but without success. They and some others who turned their attention to the subject suffered great loss in numerous ex- periments, which resulted at last, however, in making a good sparkling wine from the grapes of California. The Buena Vista company have pursued this enterprise with great success since 1863, and Isidor Landsberger and company pre- pare monthly between 800 and 1,000 bottles. It is rather too heavy in body, however, and lacks the sprightliness and ethereal qualities of the best imported French and German sparkling wines, as also of the sparkling Catawbas, Con- cords, and other varieties made in the Atlantic states. The prices of the California wines fluctu- ate a good deal, but it is perhaps the only country where wine at its place of production is cheaper than milk. In August, 18G9, a gallon of or- dinary wine brought 30 cts. at Anaheim and Los Angeles^ while a gallon of milk cost 50 cts. The wines of New Mexico resemble those of California very much in character, but are rarely in the market. This may partly be ac- counted for by the isolated position and inac- cessibility of the country, partly by the indo- lence of the manufacturers. During the last few years grape culture has attracted a good deal of attention in Oregon, and it seems both native and foreign varieties thrive there equally well. It is difficult to give even an approxi- mate statement of the amount of the wine in- terest in the United States. There are hardly any trustworthy statistics to be gathered, as the manufacture is spread over so vast a territory, of which many portions are yet but thinly inhabited. The following statistics are mostly derived from private sources, and should only be taken as approximate : California 5,000,000 Ohio 8,500.000 New York 8,000,000 Missouri 2,500,000 Illinois 2,500,000 Pennsylvania 2,000,000 Iowa 400,000 Kentucky 800,000 Kansas 200,000 Indiana 150,000 North Carolina 40,000 Michigan 40,000 West Virginia 85,000 Virginia 80,000 Texas 30,000 New Mexico 80,000 New Jersey 25,000 Wisconsin Maryland.. South Carolina Alabama Connecticut Mississippi Tennessee Arkansas * Georgia Louisiana Delaware Dist. of Columbia... Massachusetts Nebraska Oregon Washington Ter. . . . Other States and Ter. Gallant. 25,000 25,000 25,000 20,000 20,000 15,000 15,000 15,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 5,000 6,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 Total 20,000,000 Of this amount 5,040,000 gallons would come from the Pacific and 14,060,000, from the At- lantic coast. The varieties of the Atlantic states, and their approximate value from the producer to the dealer, may be estimated as follows : Gallons. Catawba 6,000,000 Concord 4,000,000 Norton's Virginia. 1,000,000 Delaware 1,000,000 Clinton 1,000,000 Isabella 500,000 Ives 500,000 Herbemont 250,000 Scuppernong 100,000 Other varieties 610,000 Price. $0 75 50 1 00 1 25 75 50 75 1 25 1 00 1 00 Value. $4,500,000 2,000,000 l,i 100.000 1,250,000 750,000 250,000 875,000 812,500 100,000 610,000 Total 14,060,000 $11,147,500 To this may be added : For grapes consumed .$5,000,000 For grape vines and grape wood 6,000,000 For brandy distilled from grapes, husks, and lees. . . 1,000,000 Total product of vineyards of the Atlantic States.. $22,147,500 If the fact is taken into account that grape culture has really assumed importance only within the last 10 years, it may safely be pre- dicted that it will be trebled within the next 25 years, and become a vast source of national wealth.