﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  417 
  

  

  ether, 
  and 
  the 
  juice 
  then 
  nearly 
  neutralized 
  with 
  potash, 
  no 
  more 
  bitartrate 
  is 
  

   thrown 
  down 
  by 
  again 
  mixing 
  the 
  juice 
  with 
  alcohol 
  and 
  ether, 
  but 
  malate 
  of 
  

   potash 
  separates 
  as 
  a 
  thick, 
  syrupy 
  deposit. 
  

  

  These 
  figures, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  go, 
  give, 
  I 
  think, 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  explanation 
  of 
  

   the 
  superiority 
  of 
  the 
  Zinfindel 
  as 
  a 
  wine-producing 
  grape, 
  and 
  fully 
  bear 
  out 
  

   the 
  conclusions 
  I 
  expressed 
  some 
  fourteen 
  years 
  ago 
  in 
  a 
  report 
  I 
  drew 
  up 
  as 
  

   one 
  of 
  a 
  committee 
  for 
  examining 
  the 
  wines 
  at 
  the 
  Agricultural 
  State 
  Fair 
  at 
  

   Sacramento, 
  in 
  1860. 
  As 
  these 
  remarks 
  contain 
  suggestions 
  which, 
  I 
  think, 
  

   will 
  be 
  useful 
  to 
  our 
  wine-growers, 
  I 
  shall 
  offer 
  no 
  apology 
  for 
  quoting 
  them. 
  

   After 
  pointing 
  out 
  the 
  great 
  advantages, 
  as 
  regards 
  climate 
  and 
  soil, 
  found 
  in 
  

   our 
  State 
  for 
  cultivating 
  the 
  grape, 
  and 
  which, 
  I 
  believe, 
  insure 
  its 
  being 
  the 
  

   finest 
  wine-producing 
  country 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  I 
  remarked 
  on 
  the 
  imperfect 
  manner 
  

   in 
  which 
  these 
  advantages 
  had 
  been 
  utilized 
  by 
  our 
  wine-growers, 
  as 
  indicated 
  

   by 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  wines 
  exhibited, 
  and 
  pointed 
  out 
  what 
  I 
  then 
  considered 
  

   to 
  be 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  our 
  want 
  of 
  success, 
  observing 
  : 
  " 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  these 
  facts, 
  

   your 
  Committee 
  believe 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  authorized 
  to 
  call 
  the 
  serious 
  attention 
  of 
  

   our 
  wine-growers 
  to 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  an 
  early 
  introduction 
  into 
  this 
  country 
  of 
  

   varieties 
  of 
  foreign 
  grapes, 
  which 
  appear 
  to 
  possess 
  those 
  qualities 
  which 
  are 
  

   wanting 
  in 
  our 
  own, 
  or 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  which 
  contain 
  less 
  sugar 
  and 
  more 
  free 
  

   acid." 
  After 
  mentioning 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  varieties 
  of 
  European 
  wine 
  grapes 
  which 
  

   possessed 
  these 
  qualities, 
  I 
  remarked 
  : 
  " 
  It 
  is 
  highly 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  grape 
  now 
  

   cultivated 
  in 
  this 
  State 
  is 
  about 
  the 
  worst 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  selected 
  for 
  making 
  a 
  

   first-class 
  wine." 
  The 
  truth 
  of 
  this 
  remark 
  is 
  now 
  being 
  realized 
  by 
  our 
  wine- 
  

   growers, 
  who 
  are 
  replacing 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  possible 
  the 
  Mission 
  grape 
  by 
  foreign 
  

   varieties 
  ; 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  that 
  even 
  where 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  these 
  foreign 
  grapes 
  are 
  

   used 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  the 
  wine, 
  it 
  commands 
  a 
  much 
  higher 
  price 
  than 
  

   that 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  Mission 
  grape. 
  I 
  believe 
  that 
  either 
  of 
  the 
  foreign 
  varieties 
  

   which 
  I 
  analyzed 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  making 
  a 
  good 
  wine 
  when 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  climate 
  

   to 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  most 
  suited 
  are 
  properly 
  selected. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  paying 
  some 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  selection 
  of 
  the 
  variety 
  best 
  

   suited 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  marked 
  varieties 
  of 
  our 
  soil 
  and 
  climate, 
  I 
  quoted 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  remarks 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Rendu, 
  Inspector 
  General 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  in 
  France, 
  and 
  

   author 
  of 
  a 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  vineyards 
  of 
  that 
  country. 
  After 
  describing 
  144 
  

   varieties 
  of 
  grape 
  that 
  are 
  grown 
  for 
  making 
  wine, 
  he 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  Almost 
  every 
  

   variety 
  of 
  soil 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  our 
  more 
  celebrated 
  vineyards, 
  and 
  appears 
  able 
  to 
  

   furnish 
  a 
  superior 
  wine 
  when 
  the 
  variety 
  of 
  grape 
  cultivated 
  has 
  been 
  well 
  

   selected, 
  that 
  is, 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  perfectly 
  appropriate 
  to 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  climate. 
  The 
  

   choice 
  of 
  the 
  proper 
  variety 
  of 
  grape 
  that 
  will 
  suit 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  climate 
  is, 
  

   after 
  all, 
  the 
  great 
  secret 
  for 
  obtaining 
  superior 
  wines 
  in 
  a 
  climate 
  where 
  the 
  

   grape 
  flourishes." 
  That 
  so 
  little 
  success 
  has, 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  attended 
  

   the 
  efforts 
  of 
  our 
  wine-growers 
  to 
  produce 
  a 
  first-class 
  wine, 
  is 
  not 
  surprising, 
  

   when 
  we 
  consider 
  that 
  not 
  only 
  have 
  they 
  been 
  working 
  with 
  probably 
  the 
  

   worst 
  grape 
  for 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  wine, 
  but 
  have 
  been 
  endeavoring 
  to 
  

   make 
  the 
  same 
  grape 
  produce 
  good 
  wine 
  in 
  the 
  moist 
  alluvial 
  soil 
  of 
  Los 
  

  

  