150 ON THE ALTO-DOURO WINE DISTRICT OF PORTUGAL. 



vintage of 1820, which, by its intrinsic richness and ripeness, gained the 

 highest approbation. Since then, rich, ripe, full-bodied, and highly- 

 coloured wines came into fashion, and these qualities had to be imparted by 

 artificial means. The law itself here, and the high duty in England, encouraged 

 this tendency. The provadores always classified dark, thick, syrupy wines 

 as first class and pure, light wines as second. It thus happens that the Alto- 

 Douro wine changed its character completely. The change in the taste of the 

 principal consumers, and the ready sale which dark, full-bodied wines 

 obtained, induced the growers to sacrifice flavour and bouquet to colour and 

 strength. It is well known that the newer upland plantations now only 

 consist of vines called " Tintas," producing a rich and full-bodied juice, 

 but one which when made without a certain portion of brandy in the 

 process of manufacture, is (excepting in the very best vintage) rough, astrin- 

 gent, and of little flavour. These wines all appear black, strong, and sweet. 

 The growers of light wines endeavoured by sugar, spirit, elder, and 

 gerupiga, to imitate the produce of their neighbours. 



Elderberry is grown and used extensively for the sake of its colouring 

 matter. It is trodden with the grapes in the " lagar." Gerupiga, another 

 product of the wine district, is a sweet syrup, or port wine liquor, made of 

 must, stopped in its fermentation by a large admixture of brandy in the 

 " lagar." The result is a strong, sweet cordial, composed of one-third 

 brandy, and two-thirds must of wine, coloured with elder-juice, and 

 sweetened with a large portion of muscovado sugar. Two or three almudes 

 of this cordial give sweetness, body, and strength to weak wines, covering 

 their natural defects, and making them, for a time, to resemble ripe, full- 

 bodied wines. But the specific gravity of the mixture soon causes it to 

 precipitate, and leave the wine above almost in its primitive state. 



Much of this gerupiga is sent to America. The " oidium " again fastened 

 with extreme severity on the grape-crop of 1860, receiving additional 

 stimulus from the wet weather prevalent in the blossoming season, as was 

 also the case during June, 1859. The use of sulphur was, however, 

 more generally resorted to, and has tended to increase the produce beyond 

 that of 1859. The drug was washed off by the rains at the period when 

 it was most required — i.e., while the fruit was too delicate to resist the 

 attack of the parasite, and to be reapplied at much expense. Those who 

 did this have reaped a half crop, unripe, and impregnated with sulphur. 

 Others have lost all, or four-fifths. The ravages of the disease may be 

 estimated by a comparison of the figures recorded for 1856, 1857, and 1859, 

 the three worst years with the average production of the nine years 

 preceding the blight. That average was, in reality, about 90,000 pipes per 

 annum ; that brought to the " provas " was 84,208 pipes. The amount 

 enrolled in 1860, was 25,602, and shows an undoubted improvement over 

 the produce of 1859, which was 17,353 pipes. Both of these figures are, 

 however, deceptive and exaggerated. Eight vintages have now been 

 attacked more or less by the oidium, and yet the latter seems to have lost 

 nothing of its intensity. The distress of the poor farmers deserves con- 



