344 On the Vine. 
at the bottom of which that ancient town is situated, and these plan- 
tations form at present one of the richest Aaneyards in that canton. 
There are points in which the granite does not present that hard- 
ness and unalterability, which generally form the character of that 
rock : in these places it is pulverulent, and appears like dry sand. It 
is among these remains, that the Vine is cultivated in several parts of 
France, and the wine is of superior quality. The famous Hermitage 
Wine is produced in such a situation. The farmer, more anxious to 
obtain wine of a good quality than abundant vintage, will establish his 
vineyard in light pebbly soil, and not make choice of a fat rich soil, 
unless he intends to sacrifice quality to quantity. 
Exposure. — The same climate, the same cultivation, and the same 
soil, often furnish wines of very different qualities. We daily see 
some mountain, the summit of which is entirely covered with Vines, 
present in its different aspects, astonishing varieties in the wiries it 
produces. 
The most favourable exposure for the Vine, is between the east and 
the south. Small hills, rising above a plain, intersected by a stream of 
pure water, give the best wine, but these hills ought not to be too close 
to each other. A northern exposure has at all times been considered as 
most fatal to the grapes :* they always remain harsh, sour, and desti- 
tute of the saccharine principle, and the wine must participate in these 
bad qualities. A south exposure is also not very favorable : the 
earth, dried by the heat in the day time, presents towards evening, to 
the oblique rays of the sun, an arid soil destitute of moisture. The 
son, which by its position, penetrates then under the Vine, and darts 
its rays upon the grapes, which have no longer any shelter, dries and 
heats them, ripens them prematurely, and checks the vegetation before 
the period of fulness and maturity has arrived. 
Seasons. — The influence of the seasons, on the Vine, is so well 
known in all countries where vineyards are planted, that long before 
the vintage^, the nature of the wine may be predicted. In general 
when the season is cold, the wane is harsh, and has a bad taste; when 
rainjf, it is abundant, M'eak, and not at all spirituous : it is therefore 
destined for distillation, at least in the south of France, because it 
would be disagreeable to drink, and difficult to preserve. 
* Note.— The general principles, in regard to the influence of exposure, ad- 
mit of many exceptions. The famous vineyards of Epernai and Vorsenai, in 
the mountain of Rheims, are fully exposed to the north, in a latitude So nor- 
thern for Vines, that it is in those places where the region of the Vine 
suddenly terminates under that meridian. 
The vineyards of Nuits and Beauue, as well as the best of Beaugenci and 
BloiSj lie to the east ; those of Loire and Cher, lie indiscriminately towards the 
north and south. The excellent hills of Seaumur, face the north; and the best 
wines of Angurs, are produced from Vines which grow in all exposures. 
