562 [ THE VINI. 



120. ZINFANDEL. Introduced in 1920; received by 

 Mr. Paul Borg from Mr. Jose" Duarte de Oliviera of 

 Oporto, Portugal. This is the original vine from which 

 the ancient Port Wines were formerly produced in the 

 Alto Douro. The vine is very vigorous and fairly produc- 

 tive. The leaves are middling, imperfectly five-lobecl, 

 more often entire, doubly toothed, with large teeth often 

 curved inwards, with central lobe or tooth very long and 

 acuminate, and with a large open angle at the sinus. 

 The leaves are smooth on the upper surface, velvety 

 along the nerves on the under surface, with a long- 

 slender petiole tinted reddish. The bunch is middling, 

 pyramidal, loose, but not shanked, having a short green 

 stalk, with green pedicels. The berries are middling, 

 round, with many abortive small berries, a tew of which 

 mature with the others. The colour is purplish black, 

 heavily covered with bloom. The rind is tough and 

 thick, easily detachable from the pulp, which is greenish 

 white, very soft, very juicy, sweet and with a mild 

 aroma. The seeds are three or more, small, greenish, 

 narrow and pointed. It is a famous wine grape, which 

 has practically disappeared from its native home in 

 Portugal, but is much cultivated in Australia, 



In the foregoing descriptive list of 120 sorts of 

 European grape-vines grown in the Maltese Islands, 36 

 are certainly local seedlings or varieties. There are also 

 other sorts which could not be identified or described for 

 lack of insufficient material, including several local sorts. 

 Among the more recent introductions from Italy etc., 

 which are not included in this list, I may mention the 

 following : Malaga, Malbeck, Montepulciano, Grappolungo, 

 Riesling Italico and ^emillon, as wine grapes, and Fresa 

 da Mensa, Imperiale nero, Monarca del Vesuvio, Dattier 

 de Beyrouth and Terra Promessa as table grapes. 



