THE NEW YORK WINE INDUSTRY 1255 



or cuvee. All champagne, whether made in this country or in 

 France, is the result of a mixture of different grape juices. Thus 

 certain varieties of grapes have the right body, acidity, or neutral 

 llavor, while other varieties give the vivacity, sparkle, and 

 mousse, which are so greatly desired. 



In brief, the correct blending of wines is one of the most 

 important factors in the art of wine making. The practice i:; 

 based upon the differences between wines, so that the mixing 

 together of different kinds or qualities of wines will yield a better 

 product than any one' of the wines that go into the blend. There 

 is no doubt that the proper blending of eastern wines with each 

 other and with California wines give good results, both for the 

 wine maker and for the consumer. 



THE WINE MAKING SEASON 



The term " vintage " is used to cover the wine-making season, 

 and it includes (1) gathering of the grapes, (2) crushing, press- 

 ing, and fermentation and (3) the general cellar operations con- 

 nected with the handling and care of the " must/' or new wine. 



The Grape Harvest 



In Xew York the vintage begins early in September and con- 

 tinues until the last of October. It depends, of course, upon the 

 variety of grapes, the weather conditions during the growing- 

 season, and the location of the vineyards. Different varieties of 

 grapes ripen at different times in the different districts, and 

 they ripen at different times in the same district. As a rule, 

 the vintage in the Hudson River Valley is from a week to ten 

 days earlier than it is in the western New York districts. 



Many of the wineries have vineyards of their own, but all of 

 them purchase large quantities of grapes from numerous small 

 growers. Both before and during the grape harvest, representa- 

 tives of the wine cellars usually make contracts for a certain 

 number of tons of grapes at a certain price per ton. 



The price paid for grapes is mostly a matter of supply and 

 demand, but there is always a demand for the best wine grapes. 

 The highest prices are paid for grapes which are used for making 



