Export of Cape Wine. 335 



wliicli have been permitted for generations to retain a virtual 

 monopoly of supply. 



The average production of France and Italy is upwards of a 

 thousand million gallons, and Algeria produced 137,120,000 gallons 

 in 1917, which was a lean year. Your production is under twenty 

 million gallons. You do your country and yourselves an injustice if 

 you believe it is not within your power to create an industry, both 

 in quality and production, that will place South Africa amongst 

 the greatest wine-growing areas of the world. Your wines would have 

 their own characteristics, and their own standard of excellence. You 

 would have educated the millions to an appreciation of the particular 

 qualities upon which you build your reputation. You would have 

 imitated no other wine-growing country, but have relied upon your 

 climate and soil for individuality, and you would have set up your 

 own standard for coming wine-growing lands to follow, as to-day you 

 follow France. 



Trade Conditions in the United Kingdom. 



If it is your intention to export to the oversea market, you will 

 do well to keep in sympathetic touch with your customers and 

 consumers, acquainting yourselves with the statistics connected with 

 their requirements. In 1913, the last complete pre-war year, the 

 imports of all wines into the United Kingdom were 12,364,856 gallons. 

 In 1918 they were 13,155,760 gallons, and the figures have an upward 

 tendency, because spirits are being controlled out of popularity 

 through heavy import duties. 



Consider the consumption of wine in various countries, based upon 

 the average per gallon per head of the population during the years 

 1907 to 1911, figures which have probably not altered materially 

 during recent years. France stands a long way first with 34.32 gallons 

 per head; in the German Empire it was 1.12 gallons per head; in 

 South Africa 0.70 (under one gallon) ; and in the United Kingdom 

 only 0.27 gallons per head of the jiopulation. In Germany and the 

 United Kingdom the principal beverage is beer. 



But this comparatively small wine consumption is now increasing ; 

 moreover the United Kingdom is only the nucleus of wider markets. 

 France is a great wine consumer of dry productions of low strength. 

 South Africa must not expect to become a great wine-drinking country 

 until her wine industry has educated the people to ask for light 

 beverage wines, instead of sweetisli wines with added spirit. Australia 

 is under the same bane. 



In creating an export industry for Australian wines, followed by 

 such market success, my father put Australian productions upon the 

 English market in 1871 for the first time. In the first years of his 

 enterprise he realized that he could not hope to make a business 

 with his limited capital, notwithstanding unlimited energy, in direct 

 competition with the wines of Europe. Australian wines were distinct 

 in type, and would not sell except on their own merits. Under any 

 circumstances my father realized that, were he to put the wines before 

 the country as imitations of the productions of older wine-growing 

 countries, he could never excel. So he decided to create his own 

 Australian-wine consumer, and not try to wean French-wine drinkers 

 from the beverage they had learnt to appreciate. He put up the 



