GRAPE CULTURE. 155 



THE GRAPE HARVEST IN CALIFORNIA, 



This joyous festive season commences iu July and continues until Dccemlier, 

 it being earlier or later according to the locality where the particular vineyard 

 may happen to be situated. At Woolfskills, on the Putah creek, iu Tolo 

 county, the mission grape ripens in July ; while in Sonoma, not more tluin 

 seventy miles distant, but near the cool sea atmosphere, the same variety docs 

 not ripen until October. One of the most favorable features in wine growing 

 in California is to be found in the dry weather, which continues entirely 

 through the ripening season. This has the effect of ripening the grapes uni- 

 formly. When a bunch of grapes seems to be ripe, every grape on that par- 

 ticular buuch will be found er^ually ripe. So favorable is the autumn to the 

 grape, that no signs of rot are ever discovered, and the earlier ripening bunches 

 will often be found hanging on the vines perfectly cured raisins. This favor- 

 ableucss of season gives to the grape an abundance of grape sugar, which, iu 

 the process of fermentation, becomes grape alcohol, and thus accounts for the 

 strength of California wines, making them equal to the strongest European, 

 and not requiring any addition of alcohol distilled from grain or cane sugar, as 

 do most European wines, as well as the wines of the Atlantic States. Having 

 stated at some length the advantages of the climate and soil of California for 

 wine growing, I can only add, that as there are many millions of acres of the 

 best land on the globe in that State suited to vine culture, which can be had 

 on the national domain for the mere occupancy, all that is required to make 

 this one of the greatest of American agricultui-al industries is the fostering care 

 of the government while it is yet in its infancy. Once open the Pacitic railway 

 from the Sacramento valley to the Mississippi, and the Golden State will sup- 

 ply the epicures of the populous Atlantic communities with the White, Muscat, 

 and Black Hamburg grapes, surpassing in open field culture the efforts of the 

 most skilful attempts under glass by the horticulturists of the east. 



WINE MAKING IN CALIFORNIA. 



In Europe or the Atlantic States where, on account of the unfavorableness 

 of the climate, the grape is not well ripened, or becomes too watery on account 

 of frequent drenching rains during the wine-making season, it becomes a 

 science to know how to manijjulate the juice of these imperfect grapes so as to 

 make a tolei-able wine which will have a general uniformity for successive 

 seasons. For these reasons wine making in the Atlantic States and Europe 

 must be classed as a manufacture, instead of a production, as iu California, 

 where it consists simply in expi-essing the juice of the grape. Indeed, wine 

 making on the Pacific slope is a very simple operation when compared with 

 this business in the wine countries of Europe, and it may be described in a 

 brief sentence as follows : Allow the grapes to remain on the vines until 

 thoroughly ripe ; then press the juice into clean, sweet vats or fermenting 

 casks, and keep these filled up from time to time, while the fermentation is 

 going on, until the lees ai'e thrown ofi'; then draw off into other sweet, clean 

 casks, and bung up not very tightly, and the work for the season is done. Close 

 watching, care, time, and patience to wait, will afterwards accomplish the rest. 



An analysis of a white and red California wine by Dr. Craig, at the labo- 

 ratory of the Surgeon General, Washington, shows the following results : 



Port or red wine, 16 j^^, per cent, grape alcohol ; 4y*^ grape sugar. Hock or 

 white wine, 13^^^ per cent, grape alcohol. The wines were pronounced pure. 



These wines were made of the Black Mission Grape, the Hock being the 

 juice which ran from the press before fermentation took place, with the skins 

 and seeds in the fermenting vats. The coloring matter is obtained from the 

 skins of the grapes, and it is also seen that where the fermentation took place, 

 with the pulp included, a greater amount of grape alcohol was obtained, as 

 shown in the analysis of the red wine. 



