It has been reserved for California, from the plenitude of her
capacities, to give to us a truly great boon in her light and
delicate-wines.
Our Pacific sister, from whose generous hand has flowed an uninterrupted
stream of golden gifts, has announced the fact that henceforth we are to
be a wine-growing people. From the sparkling juices of her luscious
grapes, rich with the breath of an unrivalled climate, is to come in
future the drink of our people. By means of her capacity in this respect
we are to convert the vast tracts of her yet untilled soil into blooming
vineyards, which will give employment to thousands of men and women,--we
are to make wine as common an article of consumption in America as upon
the Rhine, and to break one more of the links which bind us unwilling
slaves to foreign lands.
It is a little singular, that, in a country so particularly adapted to
the culture of the grape, no species is indigenous to the soil. The
earliest record of the grape in California is about 1770, at which time
the Spanish Jesuits brought to Los Angeles what are supposed to have
been cuttings from the Malaga. There is a difference of opinion as to
what stock they originally came from; but one thing is certain,--from
that stock has sprung what is now known all over the State as the
"Mission" or "Los Angeles" grape, and from which is made all the wine at
present in the market. The berry is round, reddish-brown while ripening,
turning nearly black when fully ripe. It is very juicy and sweet, and a
delicious table-grape.
Three prominent reasons maybe given in support of the claims of
California to be considered a wine-producing State. First, her soil
possesses a large amount of magnesia and lime, or chalk. Specimens of
it, taken from various localities, and carried to Europe, when
chemically tested and submitted to the judgment of competent men, have
been pronounced to be admirably adapted to the purposes of wine-culture.
Then, the climate is all that could possibly be desired,--as during the
growth and ripening of the grapes they are never exposed to storms of
rain or hail, which often destroy the entire crop in many parts of
Europe. As an evidence of the great superiority enjoyed by California in
this respect, it may be remarked, that, while the grape-crop here is a
certainty, "the oldest inhabitant" not remembering a year that has
failed of a good yield,--in Europe, on the contrary, in a period of 432
years, from 1420 to 1852, the statistics exhibit only 11 years which can
be pronounced eminently good, and but 28 very good,--192 being simply
what may be called "pretty good" and "middling," and 201, or nearly
one-half, having proved total failures, not paying the expenses. Again,
the enormous productiveness of the soil is an immense advantage. We make
on an average from five hundred and fifty to six hundred and fifty
gallons of wine to the acre. The four most productive of the
wine-growing districts of Europe are--
Italy, giving to the acre 441 1-2 gallons
Austria and her provinces, 265 5-6 "
France, 176 2-7 "
Nassau, 237 1-2 "
Of these, it will be perceived, that Italy, the most prolific, falls
fully one hundred and fifty gallons short of the average yield per acre
in California.--In this connection the following account of a grape-vine
in Santa Barbara may be interesting:--
"Four miles south of the town there is a vine which was planted more
than a quarter of a century since, and has a stalk now about ten inches
thick. The branches are supported by a train or arbor, and extend out
about fifty feet on all sides. The annual crop of grapes upon this one
vine is from six to ten thousand pounds, as much as the yield of half
an acre of common vines. It is of the Los Angeles variety. There is a
similar vine, but not so large, in the vineyard of Andres Pico, at San
Fernando."
It is well known that California has within her borders five million
acres of land suitable for vine-culture. Suppose it to average no larger
yield than that of Italy, yet, at 25 cents a gallon, it would give an
income of $551,875,000. That this may not seem an entirely chimerical
estimate, it may be remarked that trustworthy statistics show that in
France five millions of acres are planted in vines, producing seven
hundred and fifty millions of gallons, while Hungary has three millions
of acres, yielding three hundred and sixty millions of gallons. If it is
asked, Supposing California capable of producing the amount claimed for
her, what could be done with this enormous quantity of wine? the answer
may be found in the experience of France, where, notwithstanding the
immense native production, there is a large importation from foreign
countries, besides a very considerable consumption of purely artificial
wines.
Small quantities of wine have been made in California for over half a
century, by the Spanish residents, not, however, as a commercial
commodity, but for home-consumption, and there are wines now in the
cellars of some of the wealthy Spanish families which money could not
purchase. But it remained for American enterprise, aided by European
experience, to develop the wonderful capacity which had so long
slumbered in the bosom of this most favored land.
The following statistics exhibit the total number of vines in 1862, and
the great increase in the last five or six years will show the opinion
entertained as to the success of the business.
"The number of grape-vines set out in vineyards in the State, according
to the Report of the County Assessors, as compiled in the
Surveyor-General's Report for 1862, is 10,592,688, of which number Los
Angeles has 2,570,000, and Sonoma 1,701,661.
"The rate of increase in the number and size of vineyards is large. All
the vines of the State did not number 1,000,000 seven years ago. Los
Angeles, which had three times as many vines surviving from the time of
the Mexican domain as all the other counties together, had 592,000
bearing vines and 134,000 young vines in 1856. The annual increase in
the State has been about 1,500,000 since then; and though less
hereafter, it will still be large.
"The wine made in 1861 is reported, very incorrectly, by the County
Assessors, as amounting to 343,000 gallons. The amount made in 1862 was
about 700,000 gallons. The total amount made in all other States of the
Union in 1859, according to the United States census, was 1,350,000
gallons; and the same authority puts down California's wine-yield for
that year at 494,000 gallons, which is very nearly correct. In Los
Angeles County most of the vineyards have 1,000 vines to the acre. In
Sonoma the number varies from 680 to 1,000. The average number may be
estimated at 900; and the 10,000,000 vines of the State cover about
11,500 acres. An acre of California vineyard in full bearing produces at
least 500 gallons annually, and at that rate the produce of the 11,500
acres would be 5,750,000 gallons. Strike off, however, one-third for
grapes lost, wasted, and gathered for the table, and we have an annual
produce of 3,800,000 gallons. The reason why the present product is so
far below this amount is that most of the vines are still very young,
and will not be in full bearing for several years yet."
The cost of planting a vineyard will of course vary with the situation,
price of labor, quality of soil, etc., but may be estimated at not far
from fifty dollars an acre. This includes everything except the cost of
the land, and brings the vines up to the third year, when they are in
fair bearing condition. There are thousands of acres of land scattered
over the State, admirably adapted to vine-culture, which may be
purchased at from one to two dollars per acre. No enterprise holds out
more encouragement for the investment of labor and capital than this,
and the attention of some of the most intelligent capitalists of the
country is being given to it. In this connection I cannot forbear
referring to the action of the Government in regard to our native wines.
By the National Excise Law of 1862 a tax of five cents a gallon was laid
upon all wine made in the country. No tax has yet been laid upon
agricultural productions generally, and only three per cent, upon
manufactures. Now wine certainly falls properly under the head of
agricultural productions. Upon this ground it might justly claim
exemption from taxation. The wine-growers of California allege that the
tax is oppressive and impolitic: oppressive, because it is equal to
one-fourth of the original value of the wine, and because no other
article of production or manufacture is taxed in anything like this
proportion; impolitic, because the business is now in its infancy,
struggling against enormous difficulties, among which may be mentioned
the high price of labor, rate of interest, and cost of packages, making
it difficult to compete with the wines of Europe, which have already
established themselves in the country, and which are produced where
interest is only three per cent. per annum, and the price of labor
one-quarter of what it is in California. In addition to this there is
the prejudice which exists against American wines, but which, happily,
is passing away. The vintners ask only to be put upon the same footing
as manufacturers, namely, an _ad valorem_ tax of three per cent.; and
they say that the Government will derive a greater revenue from such a
tax than from the one now in force, as they cannot pay the present tax,
and, unless it is abated, they will be obliged to abandon the business.
Efforts are being made to induce Congress to modify it, and it is to be
hoped they will be successful.
In 1861 California sent a commissioner to Europe, to procure the best
varieties of vines cultivated there, and also to report upon the
European culture generally. The gentleman selected for the mission was
Colonel Haraszthy, to whom I am indebted for many of my statistics, and
who has given us a very interesting book on the subject. He brought back
a hundred thousand vines, embracing about fourteen hundred varieties.
These were to have been planted and experimented upon under the auspices
of the State. What the result has been I am unable to say; but we are
informed upon good authority that over two hundred foreign varieties are
now successfully cultivated. Such being the fact, it is a fair
presumption that we are soon to make wines in sufficient variety to suit
all tastes.
Los Angeles is at present the largest wine-growing county in the State,
and Sonoma the second. Many other portions of the State, however, are
fast becoming planted with vineyards, and some of them are already
giving promise of furnishing superb wines. As usual in wine-growing
countries, in the southern part of the State the wines are richer in
saccharine properties, and heavier-bodied, than those of the more
northern sections, but are deficient in flavor and bouquet. We shall get
a lighter and tarter wine from the Sonoma and other northern vineyards,
which will please many tastes better than the southern wines. The two
largest vineyards in the State are owned by Colonel Haraszthy, of
Sonoma, and John Rains, of San Gabriel. The former has two hundred and
ninety thousand vines, and the latter one hundred and sixty-five
thousand. It is probable that from one of these vineyards at least will
come a good Champagne wine.
A large tract of land, to which has been given the name of "Anaheim,"
has been recently purchased by a German company. It is sold to actual
settlers in lots of twenty acres, affording room for twenty thousand
vines. There are now planted nearly three hundred thousand, which are in
a very flourishing condition. The wines from this district will soon be
in the market.
The wines now made in California are known under the following names:
"White" or "Hock" Wine, "Angelica," "Port," "Muscatel," "Sparkling
California," and "Piquet." The character of the first-named wine is much
like that of the Rhine wines of Germany. It is not unlike the _Capri
bianco_ of Naples, or the white wines of the South of France. It is
richer and fuller-bodied than the German wines, without the tartness
which is strongly developed in nearly all the Rhenish varieties. It is a
fine wine, and meets the approval of many of our best connoisseurs.
Specimens of it have been sent to some of the wine-districts of Germany,
and the most flattering expressions in its favor have come from the
Rhine. The "Angelica" and "Muscatel" are both _naturally_ sweet,
intended as dessert-wines, and to suit the taste of those who do not
like a dry wine. They are both of a most excellent quality, and are very
popular. The "Port" is a rich, deep-colored, high-flavored wine, not
unlike the Burgundies of France, yet not so dry. The "Sparkling
California" and "Piquet" are as yet but little known. The latter is made
from the lees of the grape, is a sour, very light wine, and not suitable
for shipment. Messrs. Sainsivain Brothers have up to the present time
been the principal house engaged in the manufacture of Champagne. So
far, they have not been particularly successful. This wine has a certain
bitter taste, which is not agreeable; yet it is a much better wine than
some kinds of the foreign article sold in our markets. The makers are
still experimenting, and will, no doubt, improve. It is probable that
most of the good sparkling wine which we shall get from California will
be made in the northern part of the State; the grapes grown there seem
to be better adapted to the purpose than those raised in Los Angeles.
There is no doubt, too, that the foreign grape will be used for this
branch of the business, rather than the Los Angeles variety. All that is
required to obtain many other varieties of wine, including brands
similar to Sherry and Claret, is time to find a proper grape, and to
select a suitable soil for its culture. Considering the short time which
has elapsed since the business was commenced, wonders have been
accomplished. It has taken Ohio thirty years to furnish us two varieties
of wine, while in less than one-third that time California has produced
six varieties, four of which are of a very superior quality, and have
already taken a prominent position in the estimation of the best tastes
in the country.
In 1854, Messrs. Köhler and Fröhling commenced business in Los Angeles,
and shortly after opened a house in San Francisco. They were assisted by
Charles Stern, who had enjoyed a long and valuable experience in the
wine-business upon the Rhine. The vintage was very small and inferior in
quality, as they had had no experience in making wine from such a grape
as California produced. Numberless difficulties were met with, and it
was only the indomitable energy of the gentlemen engaged in the
enterprise, sustained by a firm faith in its ultimate success, which
brought them triumphantly out of the slough of despond that seemed at
times almost to overwhelm them. They have to-day the satisfaction of
being the pioneers in what is soon to be one of the most important
branches of industry in California. They own one of the finest vineyards
in the State, from which some magnificent wine has been produced. They
have contracts with owners of other vineyards; and after making the wine
in their own, the men and machinery are moved into these, the grapes
pressed, and the juice at once conveyed to their cellars, they paying
the producers of the grapes a stipulated price per ton on the vines. The
vintage commences about the first of October, and generally continues
into November. The labor employed in gathering the grapes and in the
work of the press is mostly performed by Indians. It is a novel and
interesting sight to see them filing up to the press, each one bearing
on his head about fifty pounds of the delicious fruit, which is soon to
be reduced to an unseemly mass, and yield up its purple life-blood for
the benefit of man. Some of the best wine made in the State is from the
"Asuza" and "Sunny Slope" vineyards, both of which lie directly at the
foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. From a small beginning Messrs.
Köhler and Fröhling have steadily progressed, till at this time their
position is a very enviable one. Their cellars, occupying the basement
of Montgomery Block, excite the admiration of all who visit them, and
their wines are more favorably known than those of any other vintners.
Agencies have been established in New York and other cities, under the
supervision of Mr. Stern, and the favor with which they have been
received has settled the fact that the wines of California are a
success. It only remains for the vintners to keep their wines pure, and
always up to the highest standard, and to take such measures as shall
insure their delivery in a like condition to the consumers, to build up
a business which shall eclipse that of any of the great houses of
Europe. Thus will the State and nation be benefited, by keeping at home
the money which we annually pay for wine to foreign countries, and the
people will be led away from the use of strong, fiery drinks, to accept
instead the light wines of their native land.
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