to the Vineyards of Spain and France. 97 



instance of the excellence of wines produced upon the debris of granite j 

 while the fact is, that the wine of the hill of Hermitage owes its superiority 

 over the wines of the other hills in its neighbourhood only to the circumstance 

 of the granitic soil of a part of that hill being mixed with calcareous matter; 

 and, but for this circumstance, I am satisfied that the wine of Hermitage 

 would never have been heard of beyond the neighbourhood where it grows. 

 I am therefore of opinion, that the finest dry wines owe their superiority 

 chiefly to the quality of the soil ; and I am much mistaken if it be not found 

 that the soils of all vineyards producing dry wines of superior excellence are 

 strongly calcareous. All my observations have led me to this conclusion, and 

 I know of no instance to the contrary. It will be observed, that I here only 

 speak of dry wines, for sweet wines of great excellence are produced in a va- 

 riety of soils, and, in fact, owe their qualities more to the variety of the grape, 

 and the manner in which it is treated, than to the soil. The sweet Muscat 

 and Old Mountain wines of Malaga are celebrated all over the world ; but 

 though they have the same varieties of vines at Malaga as at Xeres de la 

 Frontera, and pursue a similar practice in making the wine, the best of their 

 dry wines, produced on a soil consisting of decomposed slaty schist, are in- 

 sipid and flavourless when compared with the Sherries which are produced 

 on the chalky hills of Xeres. The sweet wine of Rivesaltes, the most cele- 

 brated in France, is produced on a granitic soil covered with pebbles ; and the 

 sweet wines of Cosperon and Collioure, in the same department, are produced 

 on hills of schist, as nearly as possible resembling those of Malaga. But 

 though the dry wines of both these soils are well known, they are not dis- 

 tinguished for their fineness or flavour. Their excellencies are their strength 

 and rich colour, which make them valuable for mixing with the weak and 

 light-coloured wines of the ordinary growths of Burgundy and Ma§on which 

 supply the chief consumption of Paris. 



The limited extent of the first-rate vineyards is proverbial, and writers upon 

 the subject have almost universally concluded that it is in vain to attempt 

 accounting for the amazing differences which are frequently observed in the 

 produce of vineyards similar in soil and in every other respect, and separated 

 from each other only by a fence or a footpath. My own observations have 

 led me to believe that there is more of quackery than of truth in this. In all 

 those districts which produce wines of high reputation, some few individuals 

 have seen the advantage of selecting a particular variety of grape, and of ma- 

 naging its culture so as to bring it to the highest state of perfection of which 

 it is capable. The same care has been extended to the making and sub- 

 sequent management of their wine, by seizing the most favourable moment for 

 the vintage — by the rapidity with which the grapes are gathered and pressed, 

 so that the whole contents of each vat may be exactly in the same state, and 

 a simultaneous and equal fermentation be secured throughout — by exercising 

 equal discrimination and care in the time and manner of drawing off the wine, 

 and in its subsequent treatment in the vats or casks where it is kept — and, 

 lastly, by not selling the wine till it should have acquired all the perfection 

 which it could acquire from age, and by selling, as the produce of their own 

 vineyards, only such vintages as were calculated to acquire or maintain its 

 celebrity. By these means have the vineyards of a few individuals acquired 

 a reputation which has enabled the proprietors to command almost their own 

 prices for their wines; and it was evidently the interest of such persons that 

 the excellence of their wines should be imputed to a peculiarity in the soil, 

 rather than to a system of management which others might imitate. It is evi- 

 dent, however, that for all this a command of capital is required, which is not 

 often found among proprietors of vineyards ; and to this cause, more than to 

 any other, it is undoubtedly to be traced, that a few celebrated properties have 

 acquired, and maintained, almost a monopoly in the production of fine wines." 



When Mr. Busby arrived in London, he offered to place 

 his collection of nearly 500 varieties of vines at the disposal of 



