VINE CULTURE AS EXEMPLIFIED AT THE PARIS EXHIBITION. 435 



and other countries, and that therefore the majority of exhibits of beverage 

 wines can be dismissed with but few words. It is when we come to 

 consider the cultivation and treatment of those varieties of French wine 

 which are known here that both merchant and consumer will take more 

 immediate and practical interest. 



Of the fifteen hundred varieties of grape cultivated for wine-produc- 

 tion in France alone, the following varieties, after centuries of experience, 

 have been selected as being the most suitable for the class of wine which 

 has become peculiar to the district where they are grown. It should, 

 however, be borne in mind that if wines resembling these in character 

 are to be looked for from our own Colonies or elsewhere, not only the 

 same varieties of grape, but similar conditions of soil and climate will be 

 required. 



BORDEAUX DISTRICT : 



Claret. — Black Grapes. — Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, 



Merlot, Malbec and Verdot. 

 Sauterne. — TF/ii^e G?-a^es.— Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, Muscadelle, and 



Enrageat. 



BURGUNDY DISTRICT : 



Red Burgundy — Black Grapes. — Pineau noir and Gamay. 

 Chablis. — White Gi^i:'"i. — Pineau blanc and Servoyen. 



CHAMPAGNE DISTRICT: 



Black Grapes. — Pineau noir, Vert dore and Meunier. 

 White Grapes.— Pineau blanc. 



SAUMUR DISTRICT : 



Black Grapes. — Pineau noir, Groslot and Cos. 

 White Grapes. — Pineau blanc and Chenin blanc. 



COGNAC DISTRICT : 



White Grapes.— 'FoWe blanche. 



Of the 10,828 exhibits from France, it will be observed that con- 

 siderably more than half were from vineyards or districts not provided 

 with designations which would convey any meaning even to the general 

 body of British merchants, much less to the consumers. In fa,ct, out of 

 the 1,482 million gallons produced by France last year, the wines known 

 as Vins de Luxe, whether retained for home consumption or exported, 

 probably do not amount to more than 2 per cent, of the whole, or some 

 thirty million gallons — the remaining 1,450 million gallons being Vin 

 Ordinaire, simply made by pressing out the pure juice of the grape — 

 black or white — and the natural fermentation caused by its own 

 chemistry, without the addition of alcohol or any other ingredient ; and, 

 with the exception of that proportion distilled into brandy, the whole of 

 this vast volume will have been consumed, if not inside a twelvemonth, 

 at least within two years of tiie vintage. 



These 1,450 million gallons of unclassified wines, although slightly 

 varying in style according to soil, climate or aspect, constitute the 

 ordinary beverage of the peer and peasant alike of the actual district 

 where they are grown. They may therefore be put aside with the 

 passing remark that the variety of the wines, and their vast quantity 

 represented by the exhibits, indicate how trifling is our knowledge of the 



