34 The Wine Crop of New South Wales. 
comparatively new, an excellent and highly promising wine 
has already been produced. The prospects of the trade 
have been somewhat overclouded of late by the unhappy 
dissensions between this colony and Victoria, with reference 
to the Border customs. The two countries treat each other 
now as foreign countries, and tax each other’s produce. 
The great market for Albury wine used to be found south 
of the Murray, on the Ovens diggings and in the townships 
thereabouts. The duty imposed has practically arrested 
the transmission of the wine to that market, and, as there 
is no adequate market north of the river, the cellars are 
filled with unsaleable stock. The Government has been 
frequently memorialised on the subject, but the general in- 
terest of the colony in the collection of its Border duties 
has overborne the local interest of the Albury winegrower. 
The colonial secretary is at present on a cruise in the district, 
and as a personal visit is often more potent than a petition 
or a deputation, he has been moved to promise that all 
that can be done shall be done to afford relief. But the 
matter does not rest altogether in his hands. The consent 
of the Victorian Executive must be obtained, and hitherto 
that has been hard to get to any arrangement proposed 
from this side. There isa limit, however to all obstinacy, 
and Mr Parkes may be fortunate in finding Mr. M‘Culloch 
and Mr. Verdon in an accessible and yielding frame of 
mind. If so, he may negotiate more favourably than some 
of his predecessors have been able to do. 
It is highly desirable that the wines of the colony should 
be adequately represented at the forthcoming Exhibition 
at Paris. As Mr. Keene said, at the recent meeting of the 
Hunter River Vineyard Association, there is no better 
tribunal to which light wines could be submitted than the 
judges that will be assembled at Paris.” To get a good 
verdict from such a tribunal will help to fix the reputation 
of our wines not only abroad, but at home. There is a 
little disposition sometimes to depreciate colonial produc- 
tions until they have received the imprimatur of European 
‘approval. But we can believe our own commodities to be 
good when outside judges have declared them to be so. 
In the mother country there has been a great disposition 
of late years to revert to the use of lighter wines. The 
enormous demand for port and sherry—so much greater 
than it is possible for Portugal or Spain to comply with— 
has led to a manufacture of wine in lieu of its growth. 
The imitation is not always very palatable or very healthy. 
“ 
