XV 



and meeting occasionally to discuss affairs in a friendly spirit, 

 comparing their wines without jealousy, and obtaining the opinion of 

 qualified judges upon the suitability or otherwise of such-and-such 

 a description of wine, they will do more good to themselves, their 

 neighbours, and the viticultural industry in general^ than can be easily 

 estimated. 



The above remarks apply to the local as well as to the home 

 market. It is very satisfactory to note that year by year the local 

 consumption of our wine is increasing, and although at present far 

 from being as considerable as one might wish, the prejudice of our 

 population in favour of beer and spirit, to which they and their 

 ancestors before them have been accustomed, must be taken into 

 consideration. 



It is very gratifying to observe the way in which wine is gradually 

 beginning to supersede other drinks with a great many Victorians. 

 It is needless to remark that the effects of this change of opinion are 

 as beneficial to the consumers as to the producers of the wine, for 

 nobody now attempts to deny that sound natural wine is more whole- 

 some than any other beverage man is in the habit of consuming. 



We are entitled to hope that from the amelioration in quality, and 

 greater uniformity in character to which we are looking forward, the 

 result will be a largely increased local consumption. 



In conclusion, my thanks are due to those authors whose works 

 have furnished much of the matter contained in this Handbook. 

 Although I have availed myself largely of the reports of the Vegetable 

 Products Commission, there are several other works which I have 

 extensively consulted whilst writing the following pages, and to their 

 authors I now tender my grateful thanks. 



Among these I would specially mention Baron Sir F. von Mueller, 

 Select Extra Tropical Plants; G. Foex (Director of the Agricultural 

 College of Montpellier), Cours Complet de Viticulture; L. Fortes and 



