WINE-MAKING IN CALIFORNIA. 19 



to the differences which naturally arise from all accompany- 

 ing circumstances. I do not think that any one will question 

 the fact that serious mistakes have already been made by fol- 

 lowing French methods entirely and blindly, and especially 

 in supposing that California wines, in their infancy and imper- 

 fect state of development, could already compete in the world's 

 markets with the average of French and German brands, with 

 their prestige of centuries, their intimate knowledge of the mar- 

 kets and their requirements, the blends that will produce the 

 most harmonious results, composed of choice varieties; when 

 we had only the product of a few inferior varieties to offer in 

 quantities to cut any figure in the markets, while our really 

 choice samples were hardly seen or known, and then only 

 to very few. 



It was a serious mistake to advise the unlimited planting 

 of vineyards, and to create the impression that this State 

 could not produce enough of good, cheap, wholesome clarets 

 to fill, or ever glut the markets; and those who advised such 

 a course lost sight of the fact, that, before we can count our 

 share of the custom of the world, we must not only overcome 

 the prestige of other nations, but also the prejudice which the 

 inferiority of many of our earlier productions have created 

 against us. The vintage of 1884, with its abundant and 

 rather inferior product, followed by a panic in prices, was a 

 lesson by which we should profit, as it should have taught us 

 what we may expect. Had this been followed by an equally 

 abundant and similar product in 1884, with the large area of 

 additional young vineyards which came into bearing, what 

 else could we expect but prices so low that they would hardly 

 pay the producer ? This was averted by the very light crop 

 of 1885, so that wines came up to fair prices again. But 

 after the crop of 1886, which was a good one in quality as 

 well as in quantity, perhaps as good as we can ever expect, 

 prices have dropped again, and those who planted vineyards 



