AGRICULTURE. 257 



While most of the wine of California does not deserve com- 

 mendation, much of it compares favorably with fine qualities 

 of European production. There are considerable quantities of 

 Californian port, light red wine, and sparkling wine, that can 

 compare on fair terms with good brands from Oporto, Bor- 

 deaux, and Rheims ; and the amounts are steadily increasing. 



At present, nearly all the best light wine comes from Sonoma ; 

 but I think the time is not far distant when a large area on the 

 coast mountains from Clear Lake to Santa Barbara, near the 

 line between the foggy coast and the hot interior climate, will 

 be covered by vineyards engaged in the production of light 

 wines of fine bouquet. * 



183. Sparkling California. California is now making 

 about 200,000 bottles of genuine sparkling wine annually ; 

 but if her vineyards were protected by laws enforcing the 

 principles of common honesty, and not oppressed by prohibi- 

 tory taxes on the distillation of brandy, as at present, they 

 would probably soon produce five times as much wine as they 

 now do. The champagne district of France is not so large 

 as the district fit to produce sparkling wine in California, and 

 it makes 20,000,000 bottles of sparkling wine, and sells them 

 for $12,000,000 annually. 



The business of making the machine-aerated sparkling wine 

 is carried on very extensively in the United States, the pro- 

 duction amounting to 2,500.000 bottles annually, or as much 

 as the total consumption of the genuine sparkling wines. 

 The bogus article will not keep, and has a bad name ; and 

 nearly all of it is offered to the public under fraudulent labels, 

 in imitation of the favorite brands of champagne. Of course, 

 men of high character cannot compete with rogues in such 

 business, and the result is, under our present laws, that honest 

 men are at a disadvantage. So little capital is required for 

 making machine- aerated wine, that the manufacturer may 

 move his establishment four or five times a year to escape de- 

 tection, and yet throw a large stock on the market. It is said 

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