JOHANN CARL LEUCHS ON WINES. 177 



VI. 

 ITALIAN WINES. 



These wines are mostly used for home consumption. Having 

 a very imperfect preparation, they will bear neither transporta- 

 tion nor long keeping. Upper Italy produces a considerable 

 quantity, but exports only a few pipes. Such is also the case with 

 the Eomagna and Naples. Sicily exports yearly some 25,000 

 barrels (somma), worth $75,000. Savoy produces 200,000 hecto- 

 litres (about 4,760,000 gallons), mostly for home consumption. 

 Nizza produces 68,640 hectolitres, and Piedmont 1,400,000 hecto- 

 litres, which remain in the country, becoming vinegar if kept over a 

 year. Parma, Prazenza, 445,000 hectolitres. Tuscany, 1,257,000 

 hectolitres, Elba, 85,000 hectolitres. Sardinia exports some 

 wine. 



The Italians let their vines run up on mulberry and elm trees, 

 where the shade prevents a perfect ripening, to the great injury 

 of their wines, which, though sweet when new, sour to vinegar 

 in a short time. The best kinds of grapes grow at Albano, eight 

 hours' ride from Eome, with the exception of "Lacrima Christi" 

 (the tear of Christ), the best wine of Italy. 



Brescia. The wines from Eiviera and the so-called Toscolano 

 are light and agreeable to the taste. In the Upper Eiviera the 

 vines are trained upon olive-trees ; in Lower Eiviera on fences six 

 feet high. 



Chambery has very good red wines, the best in Savoy. 



Elba. This island furnishes two distinguished wines: Ale- 

 atico, made of boiled must, rum, and wormwood, and Muscat. 

 Both are white wines. All the others are very inferior kinds. 



Falerno is a Neapolitan wine, high red, thick, and somewhat 

 sweet, but fiery. 



Genoa exports some red wine of a middle quality, mostly from 

 Tortosa, Novi, and Voghera. One barilla contains 7 4 ^Vo litres 

 (French measure). One mezzarolla two barillas. 



Griante, on the Lake of Como, has a light but savory wine. 



The Lipari Islands produce, besides many raisins which are ex- 

 ported, the so-called Malvasie^ an amber-colored wine, savory, and 

 leaving in the mouth a sweet after-taste. The choicest grapes 

 are selected, and left spread in the sun from eight to ten days be- 

 fore being pressed. But there are only some two thousand bar- 

 rels produced. The other kinds, although of a less noble quality, 

 are nevertheless not devoid of spirit, are of a pleasing taste, and 

 bear keeping for years. Though some keep the must in tarred 

 skins, the wine loses after a while, in the barrels, the smell con- 

 tracted from the skins. 



Milan has, on Lake Como, at Belaggio and Brianza, pretty 



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