27 



VARIETY. 



It is our intention to devote a special chapter to the description of 

 the different varieties of vine usually cultivated, but we shall here say 

 a few words about the influence of the variety on the character of the 

 wine, and mention some of the points on which varieties differ from 

 one another. 



The variety, or " cepage," as it is concisely termed in French, is 

 considered by many to be the most important factor of the wine. We 

 prefer to give it third place, the climate and soil being what may be 

 termed fixed factors, whilst the selection of sorts is entirely at the 

 discretion of the vine-grower. 



It is necessary to distinguish between choice and common varieties. 

 The former are those from which high-class wines are made. The 

 latter are devoted to the production of ordinary wines of commerce 

 they make up for the inferior quality of their product by being 

 much heavier bearers, and hardier than the more delicate choice 

 varieties. 



It is to be regretted that many persons, tempted by the prospect of 

 heavy yields, plant common to the exclusion of choice varieties, and 

 thus sacrifice quality to quantity an injudicious course of action, the 

 evil effects of which will inevitably be felt as soon as competition 

 begins to be active. The higher class wine, commanding a higher 

 price, amply compensates for the lesser yield. 



The distinction between choice and common varieties is not 

 absolute, but relative. It depends to some extent upon the condition 

 of soil and climate. 



A vine which is a heavy bearer, but which gives too weak a wine 

 in a cold district, may give excellent results in a warmer one ; or a 

 sort may be a choice one in one soil and a common one in another. 

 As an example, we may mention the Gam ay of Beaujolais and the 

 Pinot of Burgundy. The soil of the Beaujolais district is granitic and 

 schistose, whereas that of Burgundy is calcareous. In the former the 

 Gamay gives a superior wine to the Pinot ; in the Burgundy district, 

 on the other hand, it is the Pinot alone which gives the celebrated 

 wines which make the name of Burgundy a household word through- 

 out the world, whilst the Gamay is looked upon as an inferior sort. 



It is thus of the greatest importance that the variety should be 

 suited to the other conditions; we have in the judicious choie of it 



