lo Feb., 1909. j 



Viilcidture in the Levant c. 



IS 



I paid a visit to Utiel, a rather important wine growing centre 

 some 50 miles inland from Valencia. The railway passes through Chiva 

 and Cheste, to other centres now in active reconstitution, and where the 

 Diputacion (local assembly) has established important nurseries for the 

 propagation of grafted rootlings. The country is most picturesque, the 

 line following a rough valley most of the way with stretches of undulat- 

 ing stoney land of varying extent suitable only for vines, olives, &c. The 

 vine especially is very much in evidence. 



STREET SCENE IN UTIEL. 



Several large wineries are to be found in these viticultural centres, 

 the growers usually selling their grapes to them. High temperature 

 during fermentation, high gravity of the must, and deficient acidity are 

 frequent causes of trouble, but up-to-date appliances have come into 

 general use and enable these difficulties to be overcome. In these 

 wineries very thorough crushing of the grapes is brought about by special 

 and energetic machinery, it being considered necessary to thoroughly 

 crush so as to completely empty the berry in order to obtain a rapid fer- 

 mentation. Grenache or Garnacho, grown on sorr.e of the hillsides, yields 

 wine containing nearly 30 per cent, of proof spirit. 



Since the French market is closed to the wines of this part of Spain, 

 owing to her own production having oveitaken her requirements, matters 

 viticultural are very much depressed and much of the wme is now turned 

 into spirit. In Utiel, for example, there are no less than 27 distilleries. 

 Formerly these strong wines were largely shipped to France for blending 

 purposes. Nevertheless, reconstitution is being actively pushed on with, 

 growers having confidence in the future and finding it difficult to turn 

 their hillsides to better advantage than vine culture, even at the low 

 prices now ruling. 



Shipment of Fresh INIuscats from Benicasim. 



A small local vine industry which is of interest is ihe cultivation of 

 Muscat grapes for shipment in the fresh state from Benicasim, a small 



