19 



consumed locally. The following figures, taken from Mr. Young's report, 



represent the extent of recent exports : 



Wine Exported. Spiiits Exported. 

 Gallons. Gallons. 



1899 6,304,677 226,284 



1900 4,826,504 68,232 



1901 1,966,994 166,939 



1902 4,258,834 106,438 



1903 10,370,851 125,668 



1904 10,120,009 141,465 



1905 5,851,331 189,332 



1906 6,103,891 485,790 



1907 5,936,440 610,870 



I tasted some Greek wines of excellent quality, particularly the light white 

 wines. Unfortunately, as was the case with us some years back, they 

 are exceedingly uneven in type, and the label can never be taken as a guarantee 

 of either quality or even soundness. The varieties from which the wines 

 are made were given to me under Greek names. The extent to which they 

 correspond to any of our varieties I am unable to state, as the vines were 

 not in leaf at the time of my visit. The following varieties are principally 

 used for red wines Mavrondi, Sirikir, Kondoura, and Kranidiondikio, and 

 for white or pink wines Phylleri, Roditis, Mavrodaphne, Sabatiano, 

 Parachoritiko, Koliniatiko, Skilopnichtis. 



Although there exist a few large cellars in which wine is made on modern 

 lines, the bulk of the wine of the country is made by the peasants in hovels, 

 and quite unfit for export, because of the free use of resin in the wine. Resin 

 gives a peculiar aromatic flavor to the wine, which, although not altogether 

 disagreeable, is very unusual. The populace, however, appears to have 

 got used to it, and appreciate it accordingly. I was puzzled to understand 

 how such a practice can have come into existence, until, in reply to a question 

 put to him, a Greek peasant told me that everybody could make resinato, 

 i.e., " resined wine/' and only experts wine without resin. The position 

 appears to be that the resin is added to the wine as a " preservative," which 

 renders unnecessary the usual essential cellar precautions. I secured the 

 following details from a small peasant winemaker. It is customary to let 

 the grapes get very ripe, so as to have a must corresponding to about 13 

 Baum6. The fruit is tramped under foot, and for both red and white wines 

 the husks, stalks, and juice are set to ferment in upright wood vats. The 

 cap is pressed down two or three times a day, and fermentation is judged 

 to be completed in five to seven days. The wine is then drawn off into 

 small casks, and resin is added to it at the rate of 4lbs. to the lOOlbs. of wine. 

 In about 40 to 50 days the wine is clear and ready for consumption. The 

 casks are neither racked, nor are they filled, and may apparently be left in 

 ullage without ill effects. I am compelled to certify to the fact that the 



