AND WINE MAKING. 199 



who comes into an unfamiliar locality would be wise to 

 consult neighbors with similar soil, who have had experi- 

 ence with it, as to what varieties to plant. Unfortu- 

 nately there has been too little of that reciprocity among 

 growers. A tendency to ape French and Italian meth- 

 ods has also unwisely prevailed, presumably because 

 grape growers have so often been told that California is 

 the France or Italy of America, forgetting that entirely 

 different conditions here prevail. The varieties of the 

 vinifera in California are almost without number they 

 may reach 500 or more, imported from all parts of the 

 globe. That many of these have proved comparatively 

 worthless is but natural. In a book like this, it is im- 

 possible to describe any except the most prominent, 

 classifying them under their uses, for red wine, white 

 wine, sherry, port, brandy, for table and market and 

 for raisins. 



GRAPES FOB BED WINE. 



The demand for red wines exceeds that for white, and 

 descriptions here follow, taking first those which pro- 

 duce red wines of the highest grades but which are mod- 

 erate bearers, following with varieties used for the more 

 common wines, but which are very productive. 



CABERNET SAUVIGNON. Synonym Carbenet. The 

 highest type of Bordeaux wines, but a rather shy bearer. 

 Vine a rather thin, straggling grower, with deeply lobed 

 and serrated foliage, downy beneath. Clusters rather 

 small, loose, shouldered ; berry small, round, black, cov- 

 ered with blue bloom, juicy and sweet, with a peculiar 

 aroma, somewhat resembling the frost grape. This 

 flavor is strongly perceptible in the wine, so as to become 

 almost disagreeable, although it becomes milder with 

 age. Its true province is in blending with other and 

 softer varieties, such as the Carignane and Mataro, 

 which are abundant bearers, but lack sprightliness. 



