40 



The Grape Gulturist. 



tentional omission, to the grape growers 

 of our sister State. 



But if friend Engelraann means to 

 assert that a level prairie or nearly so, 

 can and will produce as good wines 

 at an average, as sunny hillsides, with 

 decomposed limestone soil, we must 

 beg to differ with him, and we think 

 the experience of the majority of vint- 

 ners, here and in Europe, will coincide 

 with us. We do not assert this as an 

 authority ; we are far from believing 

 our judgment infallible ; have repeat- 

 edly stated that we do not pretend to 

 be authority, nor do we acknowledge 

 any others. We believe that we are 

 all seekers after knowledge, and have 

 a moral obligation to impart what we 

 have found, with due regard to, and 

 charity for, the opinions of others. 

 But while we are always willing to 

 accede to others the right to hold their 

 opinion, we claim the same right our- 

 selves. 



If Mr. Eugelmann will for a moment 

 consider the vast differences existing 

 in the value of wines growing in differ- 

 ent locations in Europe, and that wines 

 grown in the best localities bring fabu- 

 lous prices, while those from vineyards 

 adjoining them, but perhaps a different 

 aspect and soil, will bring only one- 

 fourth of the price, he must certainly 

 grant that soil and locality exercise a 

 vast influence on the character of the 

 wines produced. Nor can he deny, 

 that they have a similar influence here. 

 We have seen the Ilulander produce a 

 wine resembling Sherry, on our vine- 

 yards near Hermann^ while only a few 

 miles from there, in the vineyard of 

 Mr. Kuhn, it produced a Hock, the 

 finest we have seen in this country, 

 and which, in our opinion, could com- 



pare with the choicest Briessling or 

 Traminer of the Rhine. 



But friend Engelmann cites circum- 

 stantial evidence, and refers to the 

 report of the committees at the exhi- 

 bition at St. Louis in 1867. Now the 

 facts about the report of those commit- 

 tees are these : It was at a time, when 

 the controversy about gallizing was at 

 its hottest ; the majority of the mem- 

 bers of the committee, on red whines 

 especially, were bitterl}- opposed to it, 

 thought they could smell it in every 

 wine which contained any sugar 3-et, 

 and as the wine we exhibited then, 

 had been made of must which weighed 

 126° on Oechsle's must scale, all the 

 natural sugar had not been changed 

 into alcohol, an appearance which 

 friend Engelmann and all conversant 

 with wine making can readily explain, 

 but which led the committee to the con- 

 clusion that our wines had been 

 gallized, could therefore not compete 

 with that of Mr. Nestel, which they 

 thought pure juice of the grape, 

 though otherwise superior. Their ver- 

 dict, however, did not prevent the sale 

 of twenty cases of our wine to Colonel 

 Marshal P. Wilder, at $2i per case, 

 who, after comparing it with the cele- 

 brated Clos Vougenat he had been in 

 the habit of importing, at 845 per case, 

 said he would rather drink the Norton 

 than that celebrated vintage. Had 

 friend Engelmann examined the reports 

 of those committees very closel}', he 

 could have found that his Norton's is 

 marked " sour,'' and that the Catawba 

 exhibited by us was graded at 95*^, 

 while that exhibited by him was 

 marked at "7^. 



But enough of this. We hope to 

 have convinced our friend, that we in- 



