ON COLONIAL WINES. 2G3 
acres in extent, and, with its surrounding of olive 
trees, realises fully what one writer called it, "a 
gigantic pyramid of luxuriant verdure." Far cooler 
than the plains surrounding the capital, and by no 
means so cool as many vineyards on the Barossa 
Range, it is, to my mind, a fair exponent of the 
average wine districts of South Australia. Hence 
I have studied Clarendon wines because of that cha- 
racteristic, also. 
I trust I shall not be misunderstood by wine men, 
either in South Australia or Victoria, because I have 
selected the wines of a personal friend for especial 
study. It must be borne in mind that the examina- 
tion of wine (though but partial) involves much time 
and some expense, both of which fall on me personally, 
and that in such cases extreme and exceptional 
defects, or excellencies, must give way in the main 
to a fair average. 
In the tabulated statements next following those of 
the Clarendon wines, will be found the detailed record 
•of the spirit strength of a few samples from New South 
Wales and Western Australia, and a considerable 
number of samples of South Australian and Victorian. 
The following are the Clarendon Wines, distilled by 
E. J. Peake, Esq., in 1869, and nearly all by me in 
1870-1 ; the instruments used being Saleron's smaller 
and larger still; spirit strength estimated, in some 
instances, as will be observed, according to tables calcu- 
lated by Gay-Lussac, in others, according to Sykes' 
(the English Standard), and in a few according to 
Long's balance, and mostly the mean of the three 
given. Those results, obtained by me, are recorded 
according to Sykes' strength only, and where a mean 
s 2 
