29 



iant vegetation to the plant ; and communicate to its liquor a portion 

 of the fire by which the soil has been permeated and impregnated. 

 The oest stocks of Italy are those which are planted among the ruins 

 of volcanoes. The crop of wine from the extinct volcano at the foot 

 of which the to^vn of Agde is built, is one of the richest in the South 

 of France. 



Thus, all light earths, whatever be their colour, that are porous, 

 fine and friable in their composition, and in which water does not 

 abide or collect, either on the surface or below, are such as are suit- 

 able for the plant, and requisite for the quality of the wine. 



The knowledge of the soil being acquired, the next question will be, 

 the situation that should be selected. Some writers have recom- 

 mended high grounds for the Vine. Bacchus amat colles : says the 

 Latin proverb, to which they so strictly adhere, that they even de- 

 clare that the elaboration of the sap cannot be complete, unless upon 

 acclivities or flanks of hills ; and that good wine cannot be raised on 

 plains ! And yet, in the face of this, what excellent Vineyards are 

 there not in plains ! Medoc, (department de la Gironde) is wholly a 

 champaign country ; and there we know, are situated the enclosures 

 of Lajitte, Chateau Margoux, Leoville, Larose, Branc-Mouton &c. 

 the wines of which are pure, very high, smooth, velvetty, frill of force 

 and fire, with a flavour like the odour of the violet or the raspberry. 

 The Vines of Saint-Denis and Sandillon, (department du Loiret,^ 

 and those which give the best Orleans wines, are the growth of plains. 

 The well-known Vineyards of Tonnerre, Chablis, (department de L' 

 Yonne,) Banks of the Rhone, and mostly all those which yield the 

 wines known in commerce by the name of Vins de Languedoc fins, 

 are situated on plains also. 



Meanwhile I should not forget to say, that in warm countries the 

 Vine of course, thrives in elevated situations. Abyssinia, Mount Leb- 

 anon, the highest table lands of Mexico; the up-country in the Caroli- 

 nas ; and the Cordillera over which passes the route from Buenos 

 Ayres to St. Jago de Chili, bear witness to the fact. The Vine meets 

 there with a temperature equivalent to the mildest regions. 



Rising grounds are as good as any situation, if they ascend by a 

 gradual slope and are not surrounded by dense woodlands. The sum- 

 mits of hills or ridges, are, on the whole, unfavorable ; they lie open 

 to every change of the atmosphere, and every movement of the air 

 is felt upon them ; which the Vine cannot bear, as it becomes worn 

 and stunted if swept by winds. The fogs too that collect there are 

 very injurious : and there is no shelter on them from white frosts, 



