504 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
especially in South California, has very little acid, very little astrin 
gency, no definite uavor, and, on the whole, commends itself as a wine- 
grape only by the abundance of its juice and its great fruitfulness. The 
American immigrants found this vine growing neglected around the old 
missions, along with the olive, fig, and pomegranate. It soon attracted 
the attention of the European emigrants from wine-growing countries, 
was resuscitated and propagated, and still forms the bulk of the vineyards 
of California. We have good testimony to the effect that the wines 
made by the missionaries were of very indifferent quality, owing partly, 
of course, to the inferiority of the grape used, but chiefly to the primi- 
tive mode of manufacture; the entire caskage consisting of a few large, 
half-glazed earthenware jars (tinajas), from which the fermented wine 
was rarely racked off, being mostly consumed the same season. Still, 
the luscious grapes and refreshing wines of the missions are dwelt upon 
with all the delight that contrast can impart by travelers just from the 
fiery ordeal of the Arizona deserts or the thirsty plains of the Upper 
San Joaquin. The European wine-makers soon improved vastly upon 
the processes and product of the padres, but, in accordance with the fast 
ideas of the early times of California, they imprudently threw their im- 
mature product upon the general market, and thereby damaged the rep- 
utation of California wines to such a degree that it is only of late years 
that the prejudice thus created has been overcome, not only in conse- 
quence of better methods of treatment, and greater maturity of the 
wines when marketed, but also, and most essentially, by the introduc- 
tion of the best grape varieties from all parts of the world. The result 
is that, at this time, a large part of the wines exported are either par- 
tially or wholly made of foreign grape varieties, and, as a whole, will 
compare favorably with the product of any European country, while 
among the choicer kinds now ripening there are some that will take 
rank with the high-priced fancy brands of France. It is true that so far 
all California-grown wines are recognizable to experts, a peculiar flavor 
difficult to define, which has been called “earthy,” recalling to mind 
that of the wines of the Vaud and of some of Burgundy. But this 
peculiarity remains unperceived by most persons, and is not comparable 
in intensity to the “foxy” aroma of wines made from the American 
grape varieties. 
Another prominent peculiarity of the California wines is that they are 
generally of considerable alcoholic strength, as the result of the intense 
and unremitting sunshine under which they invariably ripen. This is 
especially the case in the Los Angeles region, whose natural wines are 
by many, at first blush, thought to be “fortified,” since they not only 
reach the maximum aleoholie strength attainable by fermentation, but 
even then retain a very perceptible amount of unchanged sugar. This 
circumstance interferes, of course, with the safe daily and sanitary use of 
the native wines at home, and explains the fact that as yet a not incon- 
siderable amount, of French clarets especially, is imported into California 
for table use by the foreign-born population. This folly (for such it 
must be considered in this point of view) has already been in a measure 
remedied by the use of such varieties as the Hungarian ‘“ Yinfandel” 
and others of a more acid and tart character ; and itis quite probable that 
it will be found desirable to limit the time of exposure of the ripe grapes 
to the sugar-making autumn sun in order to restrict still further the 
alcoholic strength of some of the wines. Of course, the German and 
French vintners are difficult to convince that there may be in California 
too much of the blessed sunshine, every hour of which, in their native 
climes, adds to the market value of their product. This is but one of 
