THE NEW YORK WINE INDUSTRY 1257 



champagne, such ;is the I )elaware, Catawha, Klvira, IJacclius, and 

 Diamond. Kven when the Delaware and Catawba crops have 

 been lar^e. the ;i venire pi-ice h;is heen from $15 to $50 per ton. 

 In some years I )ela\v;i res sell for wine-making purposes as high 



^75 pei- ton, and Catawbas for $(>r> per ton. 



The yield of Elvira, Diamond, Bacchus, Eumelan, lona, and 

 other choice varieties for wine making is not large. Hence they 

 usually bring a good price from $(55 to $75 per ton. The low- 

 est prices are paid for an ordinary variety, such as Concord. Of 

 late years, owing to the bidding by the large grape-juice manu- 

 facturers, the price for Concords has averaged very high; that is, 

 about $-')() per ton. In 1914 the price for some Concords in the 

 Chautauqua district was as high as $50 and $55 per ton. This 

 year (1915) the average price of Concords will be much lower, 

 probably not more than $26 and $28 per ton. 



The figures above given for New York grapes are rather high 

 when compared with the prices paid in California for different 

 wine grapes. During the past few years grapes for making sweet 

 wines, such as Muscats, have sold in California as low as 

 $0 and $7 per ton, and seldom over $10 and $12 per ton; while 

 grapes for dry wines, such as Zinfandel and Burger, have 

 brought from $14 to $15 per ton, and the choicest ^varieties, such 

 as Cabernet Sauvigiion, Petite Sirah, Franken and Riesling, from 

 $22 to $24 per ton. 



Thus the New York wine makers are at a disadvantage in 

 producing very cheap wines. But cheapness is not the only thing 

 to be considered in the wine industry. As we have pointed out, 

 the New York wine producers have the advantage of being close 

 to the largest and best markets of the country. Their wines, 

 being made from a different variety of grape, are different from 

 California wines. The demand for New York wine is as much a 

 matter of taste as of price, and they are sold on an average at a 

 higher price than California wines. The people are willing to 

 pay for the kind of wine they want and like. Every season the 

 American people eat immense quantities of New York grapes ; 

 they like their flavor and aroma, and hence they appreciate the 

 same qualities in the wines which are made from those grapes. 



