USA > North Carolina > Historical and descriptive review of North Carolina, volume 1 > Part 6
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Doubtless another reason for the result stated is the constantly diminishing European supply, owing to the ravages of that constantly increasing pest of the Old-World vines, pre- viously referred to as "phylloxera," which are rapidly sweeping out of existence the old rec- ognized source of supply. This tiny insect, which attacks the young rootlets of the vine in myriads, denudes them of their bark, and leaves them to die a lingering death. Already whole districts heretofore devoted exclusively to wine-culture have been virtually abandoned for that purpose. Governments have offered immense rewards for a remedy, but all in vain ; and the old proprietors are now driven to the necessity of introducing native American vines of the heretofore by them despised cestivalis family, which are phylloxera-proof, owing to their thin coating of bark, upon which the insect can make no headway. If they can make a wine out of our own grapes, the question may well be asked, "Why can we not do it with educated labor ?" George Hussman, high authority, predicts that in ten years the European or Asiatic grape will virtually cease to exist. Why, too, should we not then transfer this rich argosy, or rather this close monopoly, to our own shores, and hereafter furnish the Old-World folk with drink, as we are now doing, to a considerable extent, with meat and bread?
Mr. Nicholes Longworth, the true father of American viticulture, stated over thirty years ago that our own State. North Carolina, was the normal habitat of the vine on the western hemisphere, the natural vineyard of the continent.
Should not the government encourage the effort ?
Such we hold to be its duty no less than its interest. The wine-grower demands no pro- hibitory protection against foreign competition, although representing an industry but yet in its infancy. Natural causes will soon do that. But he thinks he has the right to demand that unnatural restriction, such as license-tax from the retailer, should straightway be abolished, as calculated to hamper and curtail his sales to that class. There is no good reason why it should be retained. By detaching it from the same category with distilled spirits. the sale of these last would not be perceptibly affected, and hence neither would the revenue from that source.
Why, then, the question may well be asked, should this manufactured product of the soi be subject to invidious tax more than the products of sorghum, jute, hemp, or oil-seeds? No better reason than existing usage can be assigned for the retention of such an unjust and unwise excise. It has been estimated that the people of this country are taxed indirectly no zess thun twelve hundred and fifty millions annually to encourage the manufacturing interests of the land. If their juvenility can justify the claim to governmental protection to such an in-
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conceivable extent, surely this other and newer industry may demand in common equity, both for itself and for the sake of national prosperity, that all restrictive legislation as affecting itself shall at least be abrogated.
The vine first loomed into importance in the New World on the banks of the Ohio, although the Spanish Jesuits had cultivated it extensively a century or two before in New Mexico and California. To-day it occupies a prominent place amongst the leading industries of Ohio, Missouri, Texas, California, New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. North Carolina has been lagged in its development, although the birth Slate of many of the most approved varieties, and especially of the grape prodigy previously spoken of as "the Scuppernong," whose dis- covery is coeval with Caucasian rule on the continent. It is essentially a tropical, or rather · semitropical, plant, and will not flourish north of 36° 30' north latitude, and, unlike too many of Carolina's sons, prefers its native State to any other. Its fruit fresh from the vine is con- ceded, by nearly all who have ever tried it, to be one of the most delicious in the world. It is one which grows upon the palate, and increases in popularity upon better acquaintance. Besides its nutritive and palatable attributes, it is conceded, by all who know it, to possess high medicinal properties, and is so recommended by the medical faculty, on account of its aperient and diuretic qualities. The same is true of its wine, when properly made, and not degraded into a sirup by the profuse artificial addition of sugar.
The celebrated chemist and scientist, Dr. Jackson, of Boston, in a report of his published by the United-States Government a few years ago, predicts with undoubting assurance that in no distant future it will be admitted to be, "uot only the wine-grape of America, but the wine-grape of the world." Wheu that day arrives, the wild vine discovered by the bold adventurers sent out by the gifted and godlike Raleigh will have become of greater commercial and economic value to the State whose capital town bears his name, than the wonderful weed to whose soothing influence he became the slave, as has the world after him, -"that noxious plant," which in spite of the ridicule of philosophers, the curse of kings, the interdict of par- liaments, and the anathema of popes, is to-day of more universal use than any other named one in the vegetable kingdom. These are "the words of soberness and truth," although the subject is vinous. We are willing to stake our reputation as a prophet upon it. A generation or two hence, at most, will render verdict indicated. The prediction is predicated no less upon its already recognized merits than upon the necessity of the case. As the natural production of the Old World is curtailed by causes over which the vintner has no control, the law of demand will necessitate it. A bona fide, genuine wine of long-recognized attributes is to-day inadequate to supply the present home demand, leaving the future out of account, and ignoring the foreign market. Where demand outstrips supply, be the commodity what it may, one of two results must follow ; viz., enhanced price, or a spurious article. Notwithstanding the annual and accelerated diminution of yield, the price, all things considered, is no higher than it was a quarter of a century ago (for foreign wines.) This conceded, is it not pateut that a counterfeit article must have supplanted the old-time honest one, not only to meet existing home demand, but more especially to satisfy the craving of alien idiots, who will be content with nothing else than an " imported article" ?
ADULTERATION .- Does any doubt the ramified and pernicious extent to which it has of late years been carried ? If any there be so credulous and besotted as to believe that label or bottle is index of contents, and who plumeth himself that he is drinking the juice of the Asiatic grape whilst he sips his Moselle, his Rhine, Marsala, or Douro, let him ask himself the question, and answer from the presumptive stand-point. If that is not conclusive, leaving facts and data out of question, we propose to call but a single witness to the stand out of the thousand and one who might be subpoenaed to establish the point at issue. The "Journal des Debats," being French, may well be considered an impartial witness, or, if biassed at all, to be so in behalf of the native producer instead of the foreign consumer. See what it says as culled from a late copy of " The London Times."
If, after reading it, any still prefers to drink the vile decoctions palmed off on an unsus- pecting world, theu all that can be said is, that there is no accounting for taste. If convinced of the abomination, does it not behoove him to be very cautions of foreign wines ? If, after being convinced by such unimpeachable evidence, he still persists in clinging to his high-
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priced Sauterne, Champagne, or Hungary, then may it be said of him, as was said of another in other days, " Ephraim is joined to his idols : let him alone." If the question be asked, Whence any better assurance of purity in native than in foreign wines? the answer would naturally be, Lower price holds out less incentive to adulterating rascality. Besides, the American producer, being comparatively a new beginner, is not up to "the tricks of the trade" of the Old-World culturist. The most harmless counterfeit wine which Europe sends us is the native American, which is palmed off under foreign labels to an ever credulous public at two or three times the original price. As long as fools can be found to set such value upon the impress of a cork, or the lettering of a card, it will not be otherwise. But call the French witness, and let us hear what he has to say :-
" The Adulteration of Wine .- A question which greatly interests the producers of wine, but more especially the consumers of wine. in France, is now attracting public attention and the press. Several among the wine-merchants of Paris have held a great meeting at the Cirque d'Hiver, under the presidency of M. Duvergier, who made a very long speech, in which he did his best to defend the wine-trade from the accusations springing from all sides against the poisonous liquid sold for wine. The writing of M. Henri de Parville, which has appeared in the scientific feuilleton of the 'Journal des Débats,' will not encourage people to drink what is now sold for French wine. He says, 'The fabrication and adulteration of the wine com- mences when the liquid is prepared, to render it clear, and apt for preservation. Previous to its filteration. it is mixed with albumen, gelatine, blood, and milk. These substances agree with the tannin. and are used to modity some wines. Sometimes the tannin is not sufficient, and is replaced by other poisonous ingredients, Very often "alum," a strong poison, is added to give the wine a flavored taste. In order to obtain the flavor to which the palate of foreign consumers, and especially of the English and American, is accustomed, oxide of lead is added to destroy the acidity. Alcohols produced from corn are added to increase its strengtli Arsenic, sulphuric acid, and tartaric acid are added to give it color.' The writer dwells at length on the subject : and his revelations have quite startled the Parisians, and ought to startle the British public, who are one of the greatest consumers of these poisonous drinks. After pointing to the immense damage done to public health by the wine-manufacturers of France, the ' Intransiegeant' declares that it cares far more for the health of the public than the reputation of the French wine-trade, and concludes, ' What interests us most in this ques- tion is not the winetraders but the consumers. The "honor of the trade" has neither palate, nor stomach, nor father, mother, wife, and children ; " honor to the trade" knows nothing of inflammation of the bowels, and nobody has seen the aforesaid "honor" die from the effects of colic. The worst agonies of this " honor of the trade" will always be more insignificant than the mildest pains supported by the last of the consumers. Therefore, at a time when not one of the public administration fulfils its duties, in which incorruptibility is nothing but a dream, in which it is no longer monstrous to be monstrous, we feel it our duty to con- gratulate the Laboratoire Municipal on its courage for refusing its protection to the poisoners of the people.'"-London Times.
EXTRACTS FROM UNITED STATES CONSULAR REPORTS.
WE deem a few extracts from the able and exhaustive Report of Hon. Thomas Wilson, consul at Nantes, France. entirely apposite to the subject. ( See Reports from the Consuls of the United States, No. 27, January, 1883.) This portion of this Report is intended to deal with this question in its relation to French wines and 'liquors, to show that they have been adulterated, have been made deleterious, if not poisonous, and as such exported to for- eign countries, the United States among the rest, and, if the policy of reprisal should be adopted, that French wines and liquors as at present manufactured would be a proper subject. . . . Every body knows or says that the wines and liquors of France are adulterated, and they deprecate it : but the consumption and use of the adulterated article go on much the same as if no adulteration existed. I shall endeavor to give some information from statistics
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furnished by French authorities, and so not to be controverted, showing the extent to which this adulteration is carried, and in some slight degree its effect upon the people.
. France is the greatest wine-producing country in the world. The total produc-, tion and commerce in wine for 1882 ammounted to 2,056,692,491 franc (about $410,000,000).
"In 1879 commenced seriously the ravages of the national plague,-the phylloxera. Without study, one cannot appreciate the extent of the ravages, nor the great damage this inflicted on France. In 1879-80 it utterly destroyed 1.250,000 acres of full-bearing vines. It seriously damaged about 1,250,000 acres more: It reduced the wine-crop to 25,000,000 hecto- liters in 1879, being a loss of about 800,000.000 of gallons, to say nothing of Eau de vie, Cognac, etc.
[ NOTE .- Observe the traffic in the article before and since this tremendous diminution of supply began, and say does it indicate a healthy source ?- ED.]
Total Export of Wines and Liquors.
1877 1881 Francs, 285,800,000 .Francs, 332,300,000
" Yet this immense failure of from five hundred to eight hundred millions of gallons, continued year after year, has had no perceptible effect on the quantity of wine drunk. the facility with which it can be obtained, nor the price to be paid for it. [ See figures above. ] . . . How has this great feat been accomplished ? The recuperative power of France, after one year's war with Germany, and her ability to make the most out of the least, was at once the wonder and admiration of the world; but in the case of failure of the wine-crop she has shown unexpected recuperative power, and the ability to continue it for an indefinite period. "How has she been able to accomplish it .- this secret of making something out of noth- ing? Answer. They have imported in large quantities the cheap, heavy wines of Spain and Italy. They have imported raisins from Greece and Turkey, soaked them. and expressed the juice; and to these bases they add alcohol, coloring matter, and water in all imaginable pro- portions, kinds, quantities. and degrees; and thus they manufacture what they call wine, sell for wine, and export to the United States for wine.
"FAMILY SECRETS .- The president of the tariff commission, Monsieur Pouzer-Quertier, made a speech (in the Senate), in which he set forth the true condition of France, and ap- pealed to his colleagues to meet the tariff question fairly. He said, p. 133, ' I have seen on the quays of Bordeaux, and I believe I can see the same to-day, a quantity of wines of Spain which had come to the borders of the Garonne. I asked of the Bordelais, if, purchance, these wines, worth only eighty or eighty-five francs per hectoliter, had not come to Bordeaux to breathe the air of Garonne, and be transformed into Medoc.
" This represents a certain benefit , for one must admit that this wine contains alcohol to fifteen degrees, and that, with one barrel of it and one of the water of the Garonne, they make two barrels of. wine.' At this, the minister of agriculture and commerce takes fire. Hear him. 'I remark to the Hon. M. Pouzer-Quertier, that it is a singular fashion to defend the indus- tries of a great country like France to come here and tell, apropos of our wines, of the melan- ges which are made with the water, the mixing . . . [ protestations from divers benches], and to come here TO THUS DISCREDIT IN THIS TRIBUNE THE FRENCH PRODUCTS DESTINED FOR FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
"'In truth it is a singular fashion for him to proceed [more interruptions]. You understand that since two or three years, either from phylloxeaa, from frost, or from dropping of the fruit, we have descended from an annual production of sixty million hectoliters to twenty- eight million. It is incontestable that we have not produced the same quantity of wine ; and, although we may add water, it is still necessary to seek in foreign countries that which we have lost.'" Mr. Wilson continues, " I have shown enough to raise, a presumption of its wholesale manufacture.
"I have shown, (1) the failure of the crop sufficient to produce a famine : (2) no diminu- tion in either consumption or exportation ; (3) no corresponding increase in price ; (4) an in- mense increase in importation of the (known to be) heavy wines of Spain and Italy ; and (5)
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the entire making of the crop of raisin-wine, the two latter being in sufficient quantities in the aggregate to make good the deficit ; (6) that the charge of this wholesale manufacture was made publicly in the Senate of France, and several senators shouted, in support of it ;' -that all the world knew it to be so-(7) the minister of agriculture and commerce, replying to the senator, did not deny the charge but upbraided the senator for making it, and said, if it was true, it had its justification. . A French chemist once said, ' Wine is a mixture of alcohol and sugar and water ; but,' added he, 'mixing alcohol and sugar and water will not make wine,' Wine has been falsified and adulterated in all ages ; but, until twenty years ago, it was done so clumsily, that its detection was easy. Most wine-dealers would detect it by the taste, or, if not, at the expense of a piece of cream-of-tartar.
" All this has been changed. Now the falsificators profit by and make use of all the pro- gress of modern chemistry ; and the art of making wine without the juice of the grape has at- tained such a degree of perfection and skill, that experts, epicures, and chemists alike are baffled, and hesitate before pronouncing.
" M. Girard, director of the Laboratoire Municipal at Paris, probably the foremost author- ity in Europe or the world, says in his official report, amongst other things denunciatory of wholesale adulteration, ' After attempting to pass a large quantity of water under the name of wine, they add to the mouillage the alcohol of an inferior quality of potatoes or beets, which contains alcohol AMYLIQUE, which produces a drunkenness far worse than that pro- duced by the alcohol of wine. These, with all their ramifications, are not the only falsifica- tions : the body, the aroma, the boquet, of the finest qualities of grand wines, are imitated on.a large scale by scientific process. Each day the chemist is met by new difficulties. He is obliged to labor without cessasion to perfect his methods to combat those who dishonor seience by using her to perpetrate frauds.'
This inspection was principally for wines colored with fuchsine, it being known or determined that no combination of that article but was poisonous.
The result of that inspection was as follows :-
Number of establishments inspected, 300; number of hectoliters confiscated, 3,307, ( or about 85,000 gallons), all being wine fuchsine ; proportion of samples found bad, 59 to 17 per cent ; not poison, 2,309 samples : poison, 977 samples.
"Can it be wondered that 'insanity from alcoholism has increased from seven to fourteen per cent,' or double ? "-Report of Minister of Justice.
These extracts tally entirely with the reports of the consuls at La Rochelle and other wine ports in France.
If forty per cent of the wines sold in Paris are poisonous, as per report of Inspector, is it not safe to assume that at least an equal proportion of that exported to foreign countries properly ranks under the same head?
[New York Evening Post, Feb. 9.] CALIFORNIA WINES.
The trade journals are again directing attention to the fact that a large proportion of wine sold in this country as foreign wine is produced in Californian, and sold in bottles labelled with imitation foreign labels. A Beaver street wine-merchant said yesterday, in speaking of the matter. "The chief trouble is. that the middlemen, the wholesale wine-merchants. who buy from the wine-maker, and sell to the retailer, are interested in keeping up the de- ception ; because by means of it they are enabled to buy cheap, and sell dear. It is to their advantage to cry down American wines as inferior to foreign product ; and, when one tries to sell American wines for what they really are, he finds more opposition from the men who sell American wines under foreign names than from the few houses which really deal in for- eign products. Every possible trick is resorted to for the purpose of disguising the fact that the wine sold is California wine. Even in San Francisco, where some local pride might be expected to help the sale of native wines, they are bottled. and sold largely with French la- bels, some being imitations of labels of celebrated houses, and others being more innocent of deception, because they do not steal trade-marks." Since the passage of an Act imposing a.
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une of five hundred dollars for selling wine with forged labels, the fraud is carried on more refully ; and cases of bottles are sent by wine-merchants to retail dealers without labels, aud the labels are sent seperately, and are pasted on according to the demands of customers. One case of American wine can by this system make a label do service for half a dozen French brands. In nine cases out of ten, according to a letter recently published in the " Wine and Fruit Grower," what is sold as French wine in California is made there. The immense profit in deception is what keeps it up. The effect is detrimental to wine- makers, who do not reap any advantage from the increased consumption of their wines. [ have seen in the bottling-roomis of California wine-merchants small mountains of bot- tles, out of which very few could be picked which were not ornamented with spurious labels. The manager of an establishment said to me, "These bottles come from all parts of the State. You see that they all have foreign labels, and doubtless their contents were sold as imported wine." Taking up a bottle indiscriminately, I read such labels as "Cantenac Medoc, 1864, D. Tisett. Bordeaux:" " Margaud Medoc, F. Keppler & Cie, Bordeaux." A San Francisco bottle . f Sauterne was branded on the cork. "Pouget Fils, Bordeaux." It was a genuine bottle, and had a San Francisco label of "Cantenac, Pouget Fils, Bordeaux." On a California-made lyttle was a label of what purported to be German Hock. "Rouen Thaler, F. Weller & Co., Maenz," was stuck on a French Claret bottle. An imitation of a Chateau La Rose label could 1», bought in San Francisco at seven dollars a thousand. There might be read on a good vany a facsimile of the " Duc de Montebello." The label might be seen on a California bottle, and on another a label of an imaginary firm. "E. Blossiear & Cie. Rhiems."
A dealer in nothing but California wines, who sells them as such, and is trying to educate the public taste to like it under its true name, said the California wine-blenders have them- wolves to thank for the present conditions of affairs. Instead of devoting themselves to making a pure wine, they attempted to try all kinds of devices to imitate European wines in color and flavor, and thus played directly into the hands of the importers. As to the fact that an enor- mous quantity of California wine is sold under foreign labels, there is no doubt of it whatever. y wine-merchant will admit that not one-twentieth of the wine sold to consumers in this (untry in 1880 was sold as American. Four hundred and fifty thousand gallons were sold in vie month to foreign importing houses in this city,-a hundred thousand gallons to a Spanish form, who would deny point blank having any thing to do with such "stuff" as American wne. The only remedy is for wine-producers to establish their own agencies, and create a demand for native wines.
(American Wine and Grape-Grower.)
AMERICAN WINES.
If there were needed any sufficient reason for Americans to look with favor upon the pro- ducts of their own native vineyards, and with disfavor upon foreign wines, the fact that our wines are the pure juice of the grape, and foreign wines impure and sophisticated abomina- tions, should furnish that reason. American wine-manufacture is a new art, but even at this early day our product has reached to one-half of our consumption. Last year we made six million gallons, and imported precisely the same quantity. Unfortunately, so persistently prejudiced are the American people in favor of imported foreign products, that the greater part of the American-made wines are sold as choice foreign kinds, with false brands upon them. The bulk of the real foreign wines is vastly inferior. But " who hath believed our report" when we have reiterated time and again this fact? And now we have some fresh evidence of the same sort, only, so to speak, " more so." It comes from foreign parts, and is imported direct from Paris, and should therefore be received at least with as much confidence as the French wines themselves. This report, taken from statistics of the Paris Municipal Jaboratory, where the food analysis required by law are made, shows among other facts that in the month of June 455 samples of wine were examined : and of these but 14 were found to 1 good, 123 were reported tolerable. and 318 bad. Of 455 samples, but 14 were good. If the French people thus treat themselves, what consideration might a foreigner expect, and how
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