WINK-MAKING IN CALIFORNIA. 21 



the future, and perhaps graft some of our young and old red 

 varieties with choice white ones. We cannot deny that there 

 is a large part of the wine consuming public who do, and 

 always will, prefer the more delicate white wines to the more . 

 astringent red, and we should try to suit their palates, especi- 

 ally when they are willing to pay better prices for them. 



Although wine making is a very simple process in itself, 

 yet it needs great discrimination and judgment, as the product 

 of each vintage is apt to be different, and the temperature of 

 each season is also a very important factor in fermentation. 

 It was evidently judging from the experience of the vintage of 

 1884, with a product low in sacharine, late in ripening and a 

 cool temperature, that Mr. Wetmore made the assertion, 

 "that any one could ferment his grapes and make his wine in 

 an old shed, and turn out a good drinkable wine, without 

 cellars or costly fermenting rooms." The prevailing idea 

 seemed to be, that the quicker fermentation could be excited, 

 the better would be the wine, even if this had to be accom- 

 plished by adding brewers yeast or flour. The season of 1885 

 came, with entirely different climatic conditions, a different 

 product, an early vintage, and what was the result? Many, 

 who themselves- had no practical insight into the principles 

 governing fermentation and wine making, had followed this 

 advice, and put their fermenting tanks out in the hot sun, 

 with no other covering than a few boards, and the tempera- 

 ture over ioo in the shade. Fermentation set in with terrible 

 violence as could be expected the grapes, though rich in 

 sugar, were sluggish and without life from the long continued 

 drought, and the result in a great many cases, were a sudden- 

 ly checked fermentation with from 2 to 8 per cent, of unfer- 

 mented sugar, or rather caramel in the wine. Mr. Wetmore 

 was applied to, to help them out of this difficulty, and certainly 

 brought a good deal of energy and good will to this herculean 

 task. Following the advice of French wine makers, who* are 



