442 JOUENAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



world. On the "Cote d'Or," or "Golden Slope," which is the " back- 

 bone " of the true Burgundy district, the hill-sides give us the choicest 

 growths and higher qualities, while the plains furnish the inferior 

 varieties. Burgundy has always had a strong hold upon the wine-drinkers 

 of Europe, but until of late years has been quite second to Bordeaux in 

 general public demand. Now, however, for various reasons, the public 

 taste has been more favourable to the Burgundian vintages ; and these 

 show an increasing hold on public favour, which Bordeaux seems to be 

 losing. Perhaps the warmer and fuller-bodied character of Burgundy 

 has successfully appealed to the middle-class palate, a development of 

 taste which has been also favourable to the introduction of the Australian 

 red wines, which for various reasons of climate, soil, and circumstances 

 appeal more to the public in our northerly latitude than they would have 

 done had they approached more nearly the Bordeaux wines in finesse and 

 lightness of character. 



The fact that some of the best wines about Bordeaux are grown upon 

 the plain, while the best wines of Burgundy are vintaged from the hill- 

 sides, illustrates well a lesson which we desire to press upon the wine- 

 grower, present and future, in the Colonies. In the Medoc the soil of 

 the plains and the climate combine to produce some of the finest Claret, 

 while the climate and hill-sides of the Cote d'Or together make for the 

 highest excellence in Burgundy. It is thus apparent that, although in 

 the production of the finest article skill will be of much avail, it must be 

 subservient to other ruling conditions of soil and climate in combination. 



The quality of wine in each district in France, and consequently 

 throughout the world, depends upon the extent of sunshine and of rain- 

 fall each year, and the amount of natural saccharine and therefore of 

 alcohol generated, which may be too much, as it may be too little, to 

 produce the finest types of wine. For instance, perfect specimens of 

 Claret in the Medoc, such as 1864, 1869, and 1875 vintages, will be found 

 to contain between 11 J and 11 J degrees of alcohol (Gay-Lussac), or 

 between 19 and 20*5 degrees (Sykes) ; and less successful vintages, such 

 as 1865 and 1870, contain some 12 degrees and upward — an excessive 

 quantity of alcohol for fine Claret — while 1866, 1871, and 1877, which 

 suffered from a deficiency of sunshine and contained only about 10^ 

 degrees (Gay-Lussac), show clearly that a happy mean of temperature is 

 required to produce perfect Claret. 



On the other hand, there cannot be too much sunshine nor too low a 

 rainfall for the production of fine Burgundy ; and to have known the 

 seasons is an infallible guide to a knowledge of the best Burgundy 

 vintages, the generally acknowledged years being the ever-memorable 

 1865 a,nd 1870 vintages, with intense heat and small rainfall, when the 

 natural strength was between 13 to 14 degrees of alcohol (Gay-Lussac), 

 which strength will probably accord with the bulk of the best Australian 

 wines being sent to England. 



It may correct a very current misapprehension if it is pointed out that 

 the finest natural wines are not iDroduced in the hottest countries, but in 

 countries but little over ours in average temperature. The greater the 

 heat the more the saccharine naturally produced in the grape, but it is 

 the presence in the grape of a medium quantity of sugar which apparently 



