lo Feb., 1910.] TJic W'nic Imiustrx hi SoutJiern France. 



73 



cases, this is so, but in others the reverse is the case. The truth of 

 the matter is that different wines vary very considerably in the time which 

 it takes them to arrive at maturity, or, in other words, to develop all their 

 qualities. In marked contrast to the rapidly-maturing " vin ordinaire" 

 are the high-class wines of the " Medoc," near Bordeaux, which we know 

 di< clarets. These, as a rule, are scarcely fit to bottle until they have under- 

 gone five vears' maturation in wood, and continue to improve in bottle for 

 many years ; during their first few years they are decidedly unpalatable. 

 Choice wines take a varying time, both in wood and in bottle, to acquire 

 the maximum of quality they are capable of. As a rule, the choicer the 

 wine the more slowlv does it mature, and the more unfit is it for consump- 

 tion when quite voung, whereas, on the other hand, the " vin ordinaire" 

 which constitutes the bulk of the wine of France, is almost immediately 

 fit for consumption, and does not improve on keeping. 



IN THE VINEYARD. 



Messrs. J. Leeiihardt-Pomier and F. Richter examining a vine of '' Grand noir de 

 La Calmette.'' The closeness of plantation and absence of summer ])runing are 

 here illustrated. 



As regards wholesomeness, " vin ordinaire " gives a rude blow to one of 

 the cherished errors so often and so freely expressed by would-be critics 

 of Australian wines. 



We often hear it stated that young wine is injurious, that much of the 

 wine retailed in Victoria is little better than poison, because it is not 

 sufficientb matured. &c. Now, the greater part of the wine produced 

 in France is drunk before it is eighteen months old. Exact figures on 

 the subject are difiicult to obtain, but from a careful examination of it, 

 and of statistics bearing on it, there can be no doubt that at least 60 

 per cent, of the i„364 millions of gallons consumed in France is under 

 twelve months old, whilst fully 90 per cent, of it is less than two years 

 old. Yet this voung wine has no injurious effect on the average health 

 of the French people, which is certainly not inferior to that of neighbour- 

 ing countries where wine is only an occasional luxury. 



