684 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Nov., 1916. 



The following ampelograpiiical description is given : — 



Fine. — Exceedingly vigorous; trunks reddish^ colour of wine lees, bark detach- 

 ing in small plates. 



Canes. — Slightly flattened, very strong and long, semi-erect, light-brown with 

 vinous red striations, internodes very long, between 10 and 14 cm. (3.9 to 5.4 

 inches); knots swollen; tendrils numerous, exceptionally large and strong; young 

 growth almost glabrous, yellowish-green; young leaves with a slight brick-red tint. 



Leaves. — Five-lobed, as broad as long, dark-green and glabrous above, yellow- 

 ish-green and with little cotton below. Upper sinus somewhat irregular, more or 

 less closed, the lobes meeting ; secondary sinus sometimes scarcely marked ; petio- 

 lar sinus very deep and open, though frequently through the overlapping of the 

 lobes only a small obovoid opening is left. Substance of leaf thick, bulgy, almost 

 leathery; veins very marked on both sides; teeth large, uneven, sometimes sharp, 

 sometimes rounded, mucronate. Stalk long, grooved, glabrous. 



Frtiit. — Bunches very large, often enormous, elongated, pyramidal, winged; 

 stalk strong, very long ; pedicles thin, long, terminating in a fairly thick swelling ; 

 core short, white, with a small vinous spot in the centre, with much pulp adhering 

 to it. Berry very large, almost spherical, of a jet-black colour, with bluish reflec- 

 tions, ripening unevenly, so that some not quite ripe are of a rosy-black, as though 

 velvety. Skin not very tliick; flesh firm, very juicy, and of a refined taste; on 

 rich moist soil, before complete ripeness, the berries are already very sweet, and 

 of almost the same colour as Chasselas Rose. 



Donzellinho Do Castello. 



Donzellinho, or, to be more correct, the Donzellinhos, since there 

 are no less than five sub-varieties, are very ancient Portuguese vines, 

 being mentioned by Euy Fernandez so early as 1532 among the sorts 

 cultivated at Lamego. They are essentially " quality " varieties, the 

 red sorts being of Bastardo type, though the wine they yield is lighter 

 in colour and of rather lower alcoholic strength than that of Bastardo. 



Of the five sub-varieties, that known as Donzellinho do Castello is 

 the most valuable; the others may be briefly mentioned as follows: — 



Donzellinho Gallego. — A poor bearer, though it yields an excellent 

 wine, of somewhat deeper colour than that of Donzellinho do Castello. 

 The name Gallego, which means from Galicia (Spain), is really a term 

 signifying inferiority, and is illustrative of the contempt in which the 

 Galician labourer, who does most of the hard work on the Douro, is 

 held by the Portuguese peasant. This feeling is probably as much due 

 to envy of his capacity for hard work as to political reasons. 



Donzellinho Branco (white). — Yielding a very highly perfumed white 

 wine. 



Donzellinho Malhadu. — A queer marbled or piebald grape, grown more 

 as a curiosity than for use. Its origin has been attributed (noi doubt 

 erroneously) to the grafting of the red on to the white sub-variety, so 

 that it would constitute a sort of a sexual hybrid. 



Donzellinho Rosa. — A pink sub-variety of little practical value. 



Donzellinho do Castello, in spite of the quality of its wine, is very 

 liable to suffer from sunburn in a dry autumn, a feature which is against 

 its extensive use in northern Victoria. It is mentioned by Rebello da 

 Fonseca (1791) as softening and sweetening the roughness of Souzao 

 and Alvarelhao, increasing the suavity of the bouquet. 



Other authorities speak highly of it; notably Gyrao (1822), who 

 states that — 



It gives much and good wine; wants strong and cool soil. On warm hillsides 

 the fruit dries up very much. Srs. Villares found that the wine made from it 

 was good, though of little colour. It is a vine of such good quality that, like 



