INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS. 47 



UNWEKSlTY J 



INTERPRETATION OF ANALYTICAL RESULTS. 



"'--_ - -'^"' 



In interpreting the analytical results obtained in the analysis of wines 

 considerable discretion must be used. While the vast majority of 

 wines from one locality will be fairly constant in composition, occa- 

 sionally one will be found which will vary greatly from the average. 

 Climate, location, vintage, age, and methods of preparation will influ- 

 ence to a marked extent the character and composition of a wine. 

 Standards should therefore be adopted for the wines produced in each 

 country, and all these influences should be taken into consideration 

 before condemning wines of apparently abnormal composition. 



This question has been carefully studied in several European coun- 

 tries. Countless analyses of wines grown in those countries have been 

 made by official laboratories, and as a result of these analyses standards 

 have been adopted which have a certain official weight. Owing to this 

 fact there is a tendency to judge American wines by the standards 

 adopted for those of European origin. 



This practice is not justified by our knowledge of the composition of 

 American wines, and it is highly important that both our grapes and 

 wines should be studied, in order that American standards may be 

 adopted. Owing to the small number of wines of known origin, which 

 have been examined in other States than California, we know practi- 

 cally nothing of their composition. 



For the sake of comparison a summary is given, which is believed 

 to include all the important points taken into consideration in inter- 

 preting the results of wine analysis in Germany, Austria-Hungary, and 

 France, and also as many suggestions as seem advisable at this time 

 concerning the interpretation of California wines. The latter are taken 

 entirely from a communication from Mr. Marvin Curtis, of the firm 

 of J. M. Curtis & Son, No. 123 California street, San Francisco, Cal. 

 Mr. Curtis states that their firm " occupies the position of reference 

 chemists between the wine makers on the one hand and the dealers 

 and consumers on the other." It is believed that there is no one bet- 

 ter able to make suggestions along this line than Mr. Curtis, and that 

 his suggestions will be perfectly fair to both sides. 



ALCOHOL. 



According to the German Weinstatistik Commission a pure wine 

 usually contains between 4.5 and 10 grams of alcohol per 100 cc, 

 although wines of known purity have been found to contain as low as 

 2.1 grams of alcohol and as high as 12.19 grams. American wines 

 commonly have a somewhat higher content of alcohol than those of the 

 countries mentioned. This is especially true of the wines made in 

 many of the warmer districts of California. Fermentation does not 

 yield more than 14.5 grams of alcohol per 100 cc. 



