I o M A V . 1 Q I J . I Basis 1 T '/ // es . 



323 



■■ I regard the registration of the sales of British wines by manufac- 

 turers as being important. This will enable us to watch and report as to 

 what is going on. 



"(Signed) J W. TAVERNER, 



" Agent -General." 



Though it has long been known that " Basis wine " was manufactured 

 en a large scale the fact, that 1,234,513 gallons of wine were made in 

 England last year will probably come as a surprise to many. In this is 

 included, no doubt, a certain quantity of British fruit wines, such as 

 Gooseberry. Blackberry. &c. To the manufacture of such bond fide pro- 

 ducts no exception can be taken ; they have been made since time 

 immemorial, from British-grown fruit ; but, that foreign-grown grape- ■ 

 juice should be able to compete with our wine, over which it enjoys the 

 advantage of a Customs duty of is. 3d. per gallon, must appear somewhat 

 of an anomaly to Australian wine-growers. 



The quantity of bo/id fide British fruit wines made cannot be con- 

 siderable, and it would appear that the production of " Basis wine " is at 

 least equal to our annual shipments from the Commonwealth to the United 

 Kingdom. Judging from the recent increase in the imports of " Grape 

 Juice or Must" the industrv appears to be expanding. 



That the English wine trade is not in sympathy with such manipu- 

 lations is evident. The London Wine Trade Rev-iew, of 15th February 

 last, devotes a leading article to the question, referring to it as "The 

 ' Basis wine ' evil, which has so much disturbed legitimate business for the 

 past ten or fifteen years." It reproduces the official circular which was 

 recently sent to the trade, as follows : — ■ 



The Commissioners of Customs and Excise desire to make known to all traders 

 concerned that, in pursuance of the powers vested in the Commissioners by section 10 

 of the Finance Act 191 r, they are about to issue regulations, to come into force 

 on ist April next : — 



(i) restricting within certain specified limits the mixing of British with 



foreign wine, and 

 (2) prohibiting the sale of wine so mixed, except such as may be mixed under 

 the conditions prescribed in the regulations. 



In order to avoid as far as possible inconvenience to traders, a period which 

 the Commissioners, as at present advised, propose to fix at three months, will be 

 allowed for the disposal of existing stocks of mixed W'ine remaining in hand on 

 1st April. 



It expresses the hope " That the contemplated regulations will not 

 lack in definiteness " so that traffic may no longer continue "In a 

 fabrication. . . . which can, by exemption from the full duty applic- 

 able to imported wines, be used to cut into legitimate trade or to detri- 

 mentally affect the revenue." It uses such expressions as " Those counter- 

 feits of foreign wine which find their way as cheapening factors into 

 blends with the imported article," and, further, states that there is reason 

 for the suspicion that " The ' basis ' counterfeit " is used to mix with 

 spirits. It concludes b}' noting with pleasure " That the opinion of the 

 trade, as exemplified by the recent circulars of leading firms, is wholly in 

 favour of the powers conferred on the Customs and Excise, and that the 

 trade is already looking forward to a considerable revival in the demand 

 for the cheaper classes of wine ; more especially as regards clarets and 

 Tarragona. ' ' 



Further information as to the exact wording of the regulations should 

 come to hand shortly. 



