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aroma, which cannot easily be confounded together. For the purposes, however, of this 
article the vines introduced by the priests will be termed the native or Mission grape, as their 
product is to be considered in a commercial point of view. 
California possesses the peculiarity of having distinct climates, as it were, in different por- 
tions of the State, the result of which is the production of a greater variety of wine than can 
be found in any one country in Europe. 
Properly, the State should be divided into three wine districts, as the wines of each vary 
essentially from those produced in the others. For convenience sake we will name them the 
Los Angeles, Coast Range, and Sierra Nevada wine districts. The first includes all that 
portion of the State lying south of Point Conception, comprising Santa Barbara, Los’ 
Angeles, and other southern counties. The wine made in this district, when allowed to 
ferment fully, contains from 14 to 16 per cent. spirit, has no decided aroma or bouquet, while 
the flavor is indifferent, with-considerable taste of alcohol. The wine from this section was 
the first marketed in the State, and in the absence of competition soon had a large domestic 
consumption. As the other sections of the State made wines, the demand for the Los Angeles 
variety decreased, until at the present time the great bulk of the wines sold in San Francisco 
and exported comes from the Coast Range district. 
This district comprises the foot-hills and valleys on both sides of the Coast Range 
mountains from Point Conception to the northern boundary of the State, a tract of territory 
about 400 miles long by 40 to 60 miles wide. In it are included Sonoma and other valleys 
whose wines have a general reputation second to no others in the State. They possess the 
peculiarities of the claret, Sauterne, and hock wines to a very great degree, and are the only 
acid wines of that character produced in California. Port, Angelica, Muscat and other 
manufactured wines can be and are made in this district as well as in the others, but the fully 
fermented wines of Sonoma and other adjoining valleys have an abundance of tartaric acid, 
with a flavor, aroma, and bouquet not to be found elsewhere. Besides domestic consumption 
the acid wines of this district are fast growing into favor for exportation to New York and 
other markets, where, if received in good order, they are highly prized. The acid wines in 
this district contain from 12 to 16 per cent. spirit, mostly averaging about 13} to 14 per cent. 
Wines produced in the Sierra Nevada district vary materially from the others, the tendency 
being towards sherry, Malaga and similar styles of wines. With few exceptions they are of 
a straw color to brown, are dry in taste, and have a most decided flavor, bouquet and aroma. 
Very limited quantities of red wines are produced in this district, the grapes containing little 
coloring matter compared with the same variety grown in the Coast Range district. From 
its advantages of climate, the season from April to October being continuously warm, and 
the vast area of country unfiited for any other production, this district promises eventually 
to be the greatest wine growing section of the State. The general quality of its products, when 
known, will commend themselves to parties who prefer Spanish and Madeira wines to those of 
France and Germany, and probably not many years will elapse before a vigorous competition 
will commence for the entire market of the United States. ‘The average percentage of spirit 
in the wines of this district varies trom 14 to 20 per cent., according to the manner of man- 
ufacture. 
As stated in the commencement of this article, the wine-growing interest has been increas- 
ing rapidly within the last few years. According to the assessors’ reports made to the sur 
veyor general of the State for 1866, (the latest returns, ) there were 19,710,814 vines planted, 
the largest counties being Los Angeles, 3,000,000; Sonoma, 2,830,195; and Santa Clara, 
2,000,000. The total production of wine for the same year (by the same authority) was 
1,791,633 gallons, of which Los Angeles county produced 600,000 gallons; El Dorado, 235,680 
gallons; and Sonoma, 199,030 gallons. Of brandy there was produced in the same year 127,140 
gallons, the largest counties being Los Angeles, 70,000 gallons ; Sonoma, 6,838 gallons; and 
Sacramento, 5,714 gallons. The assessors’ returns are known to be greatly understated 
in the actual quantities of vines planted and wines and brandy produced. Competent and 
and well-informed parties put the number of vines actually planted in the spring of 1866 at 
fully 30,000,000 in the State, and the product of wine for that year at least at 2,500,000 gal- 
lons, and of brandy at least 200,000 gallons. For 1867 it is believed the wine crop was fully 
3,500,000 gallons, and about 400,000 gallons of brandy. This amount is comparatively 
small to the product which may be expected in a few years, as in 1870 every vine planted in 
or before 1866 will be in large bearing. Besides this large number of vines then planted, a 
great increase will have been made, as new vineyards are being set out every year, and old 
ones added to, throughout the entire State. It is estimated that at least 3,000,000 cuttings 
are planted each year, and the practice will doubtless be kept up, in case profitable markets 
for wine can be had. Among the most gratifying features of this interest in this State is the 
steady improvement in quality of wine, showing care on the part of the grower, both in the 
making and after-keeping of the product. The minds of the wine-growers are also fast being 
disabused of a very common fallacy, that all varieties of European wines can be made from 
the Mission or Los Angeles grape. This change of opinion is insuring the propagation of 
the best varieties of foreign vines, both white and colored, hardly a vineyard now being set 
out which does not contain a large number of cuttings from the most famous varieties of 
France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. The varieties which are most in request for the purpose 
at present are the black Zinfindel, a Hungarian seedling of the black Pineaux, the true cham- 
