28 How TO MAKE GRAPE CULTURE PROFITABLE IN CALIFORNIA 



White- Wine Varieties for the Coast Region of Northern California. 



Red Veltliner Description : Vine very vigorous, with strong 

 spreading canes. Leaves large, deeply five-lobed, dark green and 

 rough above, lower side white woolly during forepart of summer. 

 Bunch medium, somewhat loose, pyramidal, with from small to 

 medium-sized pink-colored berries. 



This variety has originally come from Austria, where it is es- 

 teemed, according to Babo and Mach, on account of the superiority 

 of its wine and good bearing qualities. From there it has been 

 brought into Germany, whe,re it is grown to a small extent and 

 known among common vineyardists as the large Traminer, because 

 its grapes have the same pink color as those of the Traminer. For 

 this reason it occurs in California also under both names ; but the 

 same color of the grapes of two varieties is no mark of relationship, 

 nor is a different color a good mark of non-relationship. If the above 

 description is compared with that of the Traminer by Prof. Hilgard 

 in his report on winegrapes, the great difference between the two 

 vines can easily be seen. The Traminer has no value for California, 

 as it is a shy bearer and produces a wine of poor keeping qualities. 

 Some Veltliner wine made in this locality (Santa Cruz Mountains) 

 from grapes grown on a poor gravelly soil by inexperienced wine- 

 makers and sold to an eastern dealer, has brought 30 and 40c a gal-. 

 Ion, when other wines did not bring one-half of that amount. A 

 blend of two-fifths Veltliner, two-fifths Franken Riesling and one- 

 fifth Johannisberg Riesling produces a wine of first-class quality. 

 This grape has a great value for the coast region, as it resists rot 

 better than any other early white-wine grape with long horizontal 

 canes, and bears heavily on all gravelly soils. In more interior places 

 it probably needs an addition of some other more acid variety, like 

 the Sauvignon blanc, in order to produce a wine of good keeping 

 qualities. 



Sauvignon blanc. This is a somewhat shy bearer on its own 

 roots, but does better on resistants. It is confounded in this locality 

 a. good deal with the Muscadelle du Bordelais, which it resembles 

 very much in the appearance of the vine as well as the fruit. But 

 while the Muscadelle generally drops its fruit by coulure two sea- 

 sons out of three, the Sauvignon blanc very seldom does, where it 

 stands on a soil of medium or good quality. . This grape probably 

 has a greater general adaptation than any other Vinifera variety, 

 as it holds its acid well even in hot interior valleys. Its wine in 

 itself is somewhat rough, but is very valuable as a blend with wines 

 of less quality and lower acid and sugar. The vine is about as 

 nearly frost-proof as any variety can be, as it starts its growth very 

 late in the spring. It requires long horizontal canes to bear well. 



Semillon. This has been the favorite white-wine variety in 

 California and is therefore so well known, that it is not necessary 

 to mention any of its characteristics. It is extremely liable to get 

 damaged by late spring frosts, as it starts its growth very early. Its 

 behavior on resistants, at least Riparia and Rupestris, is far from 



