272 
ON COLONIAL WINES. 
Morialta, and Highercombe have mixtures of these 
with French ; so it is impossible to institute exact 
comparisons. Yet from the circumstance of the 
Spanish vines being grown for the most part in hot 
situations, with plenty of lime in the soil, and the 
mode of treating the musts being more German 
than Spanish, these vineyards turn out white wines 
as fine and delicate as any that have been produced 
at Yering or the Barrabool Hills, but of course of 
a different bouquet, and slightly higher alcoholic 
strength. No matter how remote Victorian wines may 
yet be from the glorious bouquet of Deinhard's or the 
J ohannisberg Hock, the produce of the south side of 
our dividing range comes the nearest to them of any- 
thing south of the equator. But if the treaters of the 
Spanish produce in South -Australia only understood 
the requisites for managing their musts as such are 
treated in the instances of manzanilla (the bitter, fine, 
hard wine, so called from the bitter partaking of the 
character of camomile) ; the montilla, another dry 
wine ; and the paxarete, a medium sort, it is hard to 
understand why these light, firm sorts might not be 
supplied abundantly. 
In the valley of the Murray all the Spanish vines 
would have a fine chance ; for there a deep gravelly 
soil, heat and shelter, and no hot winds, would indicate 
their natural home. And if ever the produce of this 
colony is to rapidly supersede the hot brandied sherries, 
and retain the pure sherry flavour without the adven- 
titious impure alcohol, it is clear that from Sandhurst 
and Benalla to the Murray the requisite conditions 
must be looked for. 
