WINE-MAKING IN CALIFORNIA. 341 



may be drawn from below, or pressed. Thus, every grape 

 grower can have his own pure wine vinegar, infinitely more 

 wholesome than any he can buy, and as good wine vinegar is 

 higher in price than wine, and finds a ready sale, he can dis- 

 pose of the surplus at a paying figure. Imperfectly ripened 

 grapes can also be utilized in this manner, should they not 

 contain sugar enough for wine. In that case, no water need 

 be added ; they are simply crushed, and exposed to the air. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



WINE STORAGE HOUSES. THE " PURE WINE " BILL. 



Any one at all conversant with the history and growth of 

 the industry of this State, must acknowledge that one of our 

 greatest drawbacks has been the immature state in which our 

 wines were thrown on the market. There was not sufficient 

 old, sound wine held over from the former vintages, to en- 

 able the dealers to meet the demands of the trade, and the 

 consequence was that wines were shipped East when hardly 

 a year old. With the large quantity of albuminous sub- 

 stances our heavy musts must contain, the imperfect manner 

 in which many were made and fermented, it is not at all sur- 

 prising, if, in spite of all fining and clarifying, these wines 

 should come to their consumers cloudy and immature in 

 many instances, thus seriously injuring the trade and the rep- 

 utation of California wines. That this is a great detriment 

 to the prosperity of our calling, will at once become appar- 

 ent. Yet the greater part of our producers are not able to 

 hold their wines until the second year. They need their 



