lo -May, 1909.] Catahiiia. 3^7 



value for blending purposes. They seem to be absolutely _ necessary for 

 the production of wine of the modern Priorato type required in South 

 America. The strength at which the wines are exposed seems to be about 

 28 or 29 per cent, (proof) in the case of dry wines and over 30 per cent, 

 for sweet. The majority, however, are dry, it being usual to sweeten them 

 afterwards, if necessary', by the addition of Arrope or Mistela. Arrope 

 or boiled must (what we erroneously term Geropega in Australia) was 

 being made in a large tinned copper boiler, heated by a steam coil of the 

 same metal, also tinned. It was being reduced to one-third of its original 

 bulk and was of dark colour and had the usual cooked smell. 



Mistela is the Spanish name for w^hat is known as Geropega in Portu- 

 gal. It is the must of very ripe grapes, the fermentation of which is 

 prevented by fortification. I was informed that though the law permits 

 the use of any rectified spirit, that made from wine is solely used ; ample 

 quantities are obtainable and exemption from excise is allowed in the case 

 of wine spirit. 



Filters are extensively used, a raised reservoir some 30 feet above 

 the ground providing the necessary pressure. Various types of pumps 

 were shown to me ; one of these, driven b\ a small gas-engine, could 

 handle over 100 gallons per minute. A large pasteuriser of French make 

 appeared to be in constant work. The value of pasteurisation for wines, 

 often more or less fruity but of onh medium alcoholic strength, can be 

 easily understood. 



Both establishments struck me 1>\ the up-to-date nature and general 

 efficiency of everything in them. Each was equipped with a laboratory, 

 such as one would expect to find in a modern brewery rather than in a wine 

 cellar. The sun ripening process was a most interesting feature and one 

 which had not previously come undex my notice in Spain. But what 

 struck me more forcibly than anything else was the enormous volume of 

 trade done in these Barcelona bodegas. Don Magin Pladelloren's ship- 

 ments total 36.000 quarter-casks, or about a million gallons a year, and 

 Senor Maristany's operations are on a similar scale. Nowhere else in 

 Spain did I see anything of the kind. The wine I saw running, literally 

 in rivers, in the stone channels provided for the purpose, reminded one- 

 rather of water for irrigation. It was hard to realize that it was really 

 wine. South America is the destination of most of it. The wine is. 

 tehipped in bulk and bottled and sold on arrival. The average wholesale 

 price would be somewhere about jQg or ^10 per pipe of a little over 

 100 gallons f.o.b. Barcelona. 



Principal Types of Wine. 

 The following were the principal types of wines shown to me : — 

 Priorato de Mesa (table) — the modern type. This was a nice, clean 

 wine of rather light red colour, and an alcoholic strength of 25 to 27 

 per cent, (proof) with good bouquet, and a distinct, though not verv 

 pronounced Rancio character. It was probably a blend of a typical 

 Rancio with a good deal of wines not developing this flavour, for most of 

 the wine handled at Barcelona is grown between that town and Reus, on 

 limestone, and not on schistose soil. The colour was a perfect, bright 

 red, without any trace of purple, but not exactly tawny either. Its specific 

 gravity was that of water (0° Baume) which would indicate a small per- 

 centage of unfermented sugar, probably added in the shape of mistela — 

 just enough to render it fruity but not' sweet. This wine would probably 

 be made from Garnacho blended with some other local varieties such as 

 Carineiia and Sumoll. 



