' 37 



•will), would our object be then attained ? Which is to have one 

 uniform Victoria wine, a wine that the English merchant could 

 say was just the article he wanted. How can this be done? 

 When we have eight districts in Victoria, all equally entitled to 

 equal consideration as to wineries, all represented on the Viti- 

 cultural Board, and all making to-day a different quality of wine. 

 If that be so, and I think no one will dispute it, I ask again, how 

 are we to have a uniform sample of wine for the English market ? 

 But if this uniform sample of wine is not an absolute necessity, 

 then by all means let each one of the eight districts try and 

 establish a local winery, and let us have our eight samples of 

 wine ; but if it is necessary to have one sample, then I have 

 come to the conclusion that instead of eight local wineries we 

 must try and establish one great central winery in this city of 

 Melbourne. This would be much more easily established than 

 eight local wineries. The same stafE that would work a local 

 winery would work it, the wine-growers of the colony would 

 teke shares, outside capital would be easier procured than for 

 local country wineries. The whole of the wine-growers who 

 desired to do so could send to this central winery their grapes or 

 their must, and all these, when fermented in the same vat, would 

 surely be one uniform wine. There would be no difficulty what- 

 ever in sending either grapes or the juice of the grape to this 

 central winery, this central winery could have on hand a number 

 of vat-like casks, which would sit in q. truck on the railway, with 

 the bung-hole in the upper end, with an attached funnel, so that 

 the must might ferment as it would, none would be lost, and this 

 vessel, when filled by the grape-grower, would be returned to the 

 central winery. This central winery would have great advan- 

 tages, it would be the receptacle of all the grapes and wine that 

 the wine-growers of the whole colony would feel disposed to sell, in 

 fact of all the wine in the colony that could be spared from home 

 consumption, and hence the export wine market of Victoria. And 

 lastly, supposing that I am altogether wrong, and that the local 

 wineries are the thing and the only thing wanted, then I assert you 

 would require a central dep6t to blend the wines from the various 

 country-wineries in before sending them to the English market. 



In concluding this part of. this paper I beg to say that Vic- 

 toria will never become a great wine-producing country until 

 either local wineries or a central winery be established, as men 

 will plant grapes only when they know for certain that they can 

 dispose of them and get the money for them the day they are 

 ripe. Now, as to the market for our wines, I consider that there 

 is little to be said on this subject, as I am of opinion if we grow 

 the proper grape and make a good sound wine there is already a 

 market for more than we can grow. I had myself invitations 

 both from London and India to send wine to these places, and 



