458 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. {1 Jung, 1899. 
Tf Federation of the Australian Colonies is accomplished, there will 
necessarily be a considerable reduction, if not entire abolition, of the present 
duty in Queensland on wines from the southern colonies, and, as a consequence, 
our wines will suffer severe competition. How is that competition to be met 
and mastered ? 
Before entering on this question, let us first examine the position of the 
wine industry in this colony at the present moment. The number of individuals 
who actually make wine in Queensland in large or small quantities would 
almost run into three figures, but the vignerons whose wine is known and sold 
outside their own district can be counted on the fingers. Let us first see how 
the small producers will be affected. 
For the most part they possess a limited number of vines, and generally of 
inferior varieties—quantity, and not quality of grape, being aimed at. The 
saccharine density of the must is generally low, and a quantity of sugar has to 
be added to it to ensure a wine strong enough to keep. The plant, too, is 
usually primitive and faulty, but, notwithstanding the defective arrangements of 
this class of vigneron and, generally speaking, the inferior quality of wine pro- 
duced, they have nothing to fear from outside competition. The stock is lhmited 
to the yearly consumption of their local customers, who are apparently satisfied 
with the quality offered them. The only competitor is the local publican or 
grocer, probably several miles away, who can be disregarded. If, however, more 
farmers went in for viticulture and wine-making, the local competition would 
bring about a better class of wine than is generally made. Intending vignerons 
should be careful to plant the finer varieties of vines, and use concentrated 
must as a sweetening power instead of sugar, resulting in a saving in expense 
and in the production of a better wine. 
But for vignerons whose products are sold outside their own district, and 
who, although few in number, constitute practically the wine industry of 
Queensland, the case is different: they will have severe competition, and the 
question asked above was—“ How is that competition to be met and mastered ?”’ 
There are two ways of doing it—Improve the quality of the wine, and decrease 
the cost of production. The first is an easier matter than the second, but both 
are to be done if only vignerons will study how to do so. No improvement in 
quality is possible, however, if vignerons stick to the idea asserted on 
more than one occasion to the writer that ‘“ Queensland wines are as good as 
any in Australia.” Some Queensland wines are so, but they are exceptional, 
and invariably cost much more than a similar wine down south. An 
professional man, comparing the bulk of our Queensland wines with those from 
South Australia and Victoria, must admit that the latter excel in all-round 
quality. The Queensland vigneron is not inclined to admit this, as, naturally, 
his judgment is biased in favour of his own products, but it is a fact neverthe- 
less, and if he refuses to recognise it, and will not modify his system of 
manufacture, he will have a bad quarter of an hour if Federation is an 
accomplished fact. In pointing out the faults present im some of the Queens- 
land wines, the writer is animated by no captious spirit; his criticisms are made 
solely with the desire to be of service to our vignerons. Moreover, they do 
not refer to all wines alike, as he has sampled very good wines in the colony of 
various makers; and he has no doubt whatever that, with a little more care 
practised in the selection of the grape and the preparation of the wine, Queens- 
land vignerons will successfully compete with southern growers. 
Most of our vignerons affirm that there is a very limited sale for pure light 
wines like clarets and Chablis, but they can find a ready sale for strong, dry, 
and sweet wines, and that they must make what they can sell. True; but is 
not the limited sale of light wines due to the fact that the low-priced qualities 
are not well made, and those that are cost too much? Winedrinkers may be 
divided into two classes—those who understand wine, and drink a pure, well- 
prepared wine if they can get it; and those who will drink anything so long as it 
is called wine and is sweet and strong. ‘The former class find it difficult to get in 
Queensland a light, clean, eT era wine at anything like a reasonable 
figure; so deny themselves, and hence the limited sale. 
