UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
 
 BULLETIN NO. 65. 
 
 Shall California Make Sophisticated 
 Wines? 
 
 The discussion concerning the definition of a 
 pure wine, and of legislation relating thereto, 
 
 The wines thus produced were to a large ex- 
 tent so thoroughly faulty, that the dealers who 
 bought them took great risks in their preserva- 
 tion aud transformation into anything corre- 
 sponding to a commercially recognized grade. 
 The materials for making proper blends were 
 not obtainable, and the temptation to produce 
 
 appears to have reached a stage at which it is \y y artificial additions at least the semblance of 
 
 desirable to recall, to the minds of those con 
 cerned, the 11 bottom facts " of the case, which 
 have been lo3t sight of in not a few of the argu- 
 ments advanced in the premises. On the one 
 hand, extreme purists have gone so far a3 to 
 contend that even the blending of wines from 
 different grapes constitutes a departure from 
 strict rectitude; while on the other hand, we 
 find gravely advanced, in public print as well 
 as speech, and proposed to be enacted into a 
 State law, a declaration that only poisons shall 
 be excluded from the ingredients with which 
 wines may be doctored for the public benefit. 
 It has long puzzled philosophers and law givers 
 how a poison is to be defined. In the present 
 case, the purest product possible contains as 
 one of its essential ingredients a substance that 
 is declared by a respectable portion of Ameri- 
 can opinion to be the very poison of poisons, 
 which no one should touch, taste or handle. It 
 is easy to foresee how adroit lawyers and easy- 
 going; "experts" would, under such a law, 
 manipulate almost any but the most extreme 
 cases, so as to produce a disagreement of juries. 
 
 It is a well-known characteristic of a primi 
 tive condition of human knowledge, that for 
 any ill that befalls, a special medicine is sought 
 
 the right thing was great, even when the 
 knowledge of suitable methods of after-treat- 
 ment existed. This, however, was by no 
 means generally the case; winemaking and 
 dealing was undertaken like any other business 
 venture, without any special knowledge of the 
 subject, because it was expected to pay, and 
 with the sole idea of producing, as cheaply as 
 possible, something that would sell as wins. 
 The injury done to the reputation of California 
 wines during this primitive period still weighs 
 down the prices and the estimation of our best 
 products, which are mostly hid away under 
 foreign labels; outside of the State, it is still a 
 mooted question whether we can produce any- 
 thing in the shape of wine that will remain 
 sound for some years, and that will not show 
 the earmarks of its origin in some objection- 
 able form. Worse than this, however, there re- 
 main among us, as remnants of the olden time, 
 many of the bad practices both of producers 
 and dealers. Even in this year of grace, the 
 dealer is abroad who tries to persuade the pro- 
 ducer that *' wine is wine," no matter whether 
 Mission or Cabernet Sauvignon; that all this 
 talk about distinctions of kinds and qualities is 
 made by unpractical men who only make trou- 
 ble for the trade, and that 15 csnts per gallon 
 
 Among the greatest difficulties encountered by all around is about the right gauge, 
 conscientious physicians is the persistent de- It is quite time that these remnants of the 
 mand of patients for some tangible medicine, good old style should be definitively consigned to 
 
 the rubbish pile. Producers are fast awakening 
 to the conviction that a definite plan must be 
 pursued in the planting of vineyards, in order 
 that they may themselves be enabled to propor- 
 tion properly the blends desired in the market. 
 They are also learning that winemaking is not 
 altogether the simple and easy thing it was sup- 
 posed to be, but requires skill, judgment, and 
 close attention to details which, only a few 
 this primitive condition, in which wines were years ago, were scouted as being beneath the 
 made from au indiscriminate mixture of Mis- notice of 11 practical" men. A large proportion 
 sion and other wiii3 and table grapes, by the of the best Old World varieties of wine grapes 
 " go-as-you please " process of fermentation, or has been imported, and their local adaptations 
 by equally primitive methods derived from the are fast being recognized and systematically 
 producer's dim recollection of what he saw in studied with a view to the production of definite 
 Germany, France or Italy in his youthful days, qualities conforming to the commercial demand I 
 
 of the world, by the blending of suitable varieties. \ 
 
 in cases when nothing but a change of hygienic 
 conditions is needed, or can accomplish a cure. 
 Similarly, in a primitive condition of the wine- 
 making industry, the tendency is to rely on 
 medicines to cure all faults found in the wine, 
 instead of preventing the occurrence of such 
 faults by the applicition of sound principles in 
 its preparation. 
 
 California winemaking is just emerging from 
 
A large number of producers who have created 
 a direct market for their products, independent- 
 ly of wine-dealers, have successfully arranged 
 their production so as to be independent of any 
 medication whatsoever, and furnish wines con- 
 forming in every respect to the demands of 
 legitimate commerce, as well as to the tastes of 
 consumers. They furnish the living proof that 
 
 doctoring " is as unnecessary as it is objection* 
 able from every point of view. 
 
 It is this most legitimate and desirable prog 
 ress from crude mixing of miscellaneous ingre- 
 dients into the semblance of wine, to the 
 preparation and profitable marketing of an un- 
 impeachable product, that is crossed and im- 
 peded by the manufacture of spurious wines and 
 by the false pretense that the demands of the 
 
 Sugar is next in quantity to water. In the 
 sunny climate of California, a seriouB deficiency 
 of sugar is quite exceptional, provided the vine- 
 yard has been stocked with due regard to the 
 local climate. A simple calculation shows that 
 at the ruling prices and the average production 
 of grapes per acre, the natural sugar of the 
 grape is the cheapest available, since the best 
 of commercial glucose introduces into the wine 
 elements of instability, as well as other objec- 
 tionable features impossible to overcome. Re- 
 fined cane or beet sugar, when added to must 
 prior to fermentation, is promptly converted 
 into pure grape sugar and ferments out as such. 
 Hence its use for the purpose of strengthening 
 weak musts would seem to stand on the samt 
 ba-is as that of water for the opposite purpose; 
 
 market require the sophistication of the prod- ; the sugar introduced becoming in every respect 
 
 uct of the grape. If some wine-producers or 
 dealers have failed to keep up with the prog- 
 ress of the time?, and are thus not in a position 
 t3 command the materials for proper blends 
 from their ill-assorted vineyards, that is their 
 misfortune or fault. It hardly justifies them 
 in advocating the need and propriety of the use 
 of cherry juice in making up deficiency of color; 
 least of all does it justify their opposition to a 
 legislative measure designed to enable the pro- 
 ducers of pure wine (as defined in every diction- 
 ary and encyclopedia) to place a distinguishing 
 mark upon the product of their skill or pro- 
 gressiveness. 
 
 Taking for granted that it is desirable to 
 restrict as much as practicable the introduction 
 into wines of any substance 11 not the product 
 of the grape," a brief consideration of the in- 
 gredients of wine and must will show how far the 
 need of any intervention of artificial additions 
 can be maintained. If it can be shown that 
 all desirable results can be compassed by the 
 legitimate method of blending natural products, 
 the wine-doctors' expedients should be repudi- 
 ated as being needless as well as pernicious. 
 
 First, as to water (which after all is the most 
 abundant ingredient of wine, since it consti 
 
 as identical with that of the grape, as the wa- 
 ' ter. On the score of coit alone, however, it 
 would in practice naturally be superseded by 
 that of condensed must, so soon as this material 
 shall be generally available. 
 
 As regards fortification with alcohol in the 
 shape of "neutral spirit " instead of grape spir- 
 it, as advocated in the late district convention, 
 it must be admitted that really " neutral ,; 
 spirit would be objectionable mainly on grounds 
 of true policy, in diminishing the market for 
 our own brandy product. But most of the com- 
 mercial article would infallibly make its pres- 
 ence felt in any delicate wine for years. 
 
 As regards acid, all " cream of tartar " is the 
 product of the grape, and so is tartaric acid. 
 There can be no intrinsic objection to the in- 
 troduction of as much tartar as anybody may 
 desire, into must or wine. Tartaric acid stands 
 on a slightly different baeis, as its presence, in 
 place of its naturally occurring compound, ren- 
 ders the wine more liable to " turning " and 
 other troubles. Those who attempt to use it 
 on the large scale will also find that here, again, 
 it is better to provide against any such expen- 
 sive necessity by planting or purchasing a 
 proper selection of acid grapes, by blending 
 
 tutes from 81 to 92 per cent of dry wines), iti which with such troublesome varieties as Trous- 
 must, of necessity, be used in the legitimate in- seau, Mission and others, a healthy fermenta 
 rlnafrv Ktt whinVi ovannrofJ tw "condensed" tion can alwavs be secured. 
 
 dustry by which evaporated or 
 must is converted into wine by fermentation 
 Its use is altfo justifiable when by natural evap 
 oration, in certain seasons, the grape juice con 
 tains too much sugar to allow of being fer- 
 mented into dry wine, while light-bodied musts 
 are not available for blending. The require 
 ments of a sound fermentation limit its exces 
 
 tion can always be secured. 
 
 Glycerine and carbonic gas are natural prod- 
 ucts of wine fermentation. But no well-made 
 wine requires the addition of glycerine, which 
 serves mainly to hide avoidable faults. Car- 
 bonic gas is a legitimate ingredient of wine 
 whenever wanted. 
 Color is probably the point which gives rise 
 
 sive use prior to that process; but the " stretch- to more sophistication than any other; not 
 ing " of fermented wines, by its addition, is only because the valley wines, which thus fai 
 liable to gross abuse. When heavy red wines have formed so large a proportion of the vint* 
 need dilution to conform to the requirements age, are generally deficient in color, but chiefly 
 of the market, an abundance of light wines can because in the u stretching " of wines, the color 
 be found for the purpose. Those of the Folle is that which suffers most obviously, and is 
 Blanche, Sultana, Burger and others are as most readily imitated by outside additions so 
 neutral as could be desired, if suitable light as to satisfy the average consumer, 
 red wines should not be available. There is no Bat since our vineyards have ascendea from 
 valid excuse for the use of water after fer- the valleys into the hill country, the supply of 
 mentation. color proves to be as abundant in this State as 
 
i anywhere in the world. In fact, it would be 
 difficult to find a heavier showing of color per 
 acre than that of the Gros. Verdot at Cupertino, 
 which, with a tint about three times as deep as 
 that of the average Zinfandel wine, yielded at 
 the rate* of about 25 tons of grapes, or say 3500 
 gallons of wine per acre, competing in cheap- 
 ness with "cherry juice." The Gros3blaue, the 
 Bonscbets and others are similarly available for 
 the more common wines, while for those of 
 high degree we have the Cabernets, Beclan, 
 Tannat, etc. 
 
 In regard to tannin, it was at one time 
 thought that California wines were likely to 
 be deficient, and this remains true of most of 
 the valley wines; bub the products of the hill 
 vineyards leave little excuse for the use of 
 tannin from outside sources. Both *ides of the 
 Santa Clara valley, as well as the hills of Napa 
 and Sonoma, and even portions of the San 
 Joaquin valley, have furnished wine3 of extra- 
 ordinary tannin contents. There will be little 
 difficulty in securing, hereafter, a sufficiency 
 of blending wines for bringing clarets up to the 
 Bordeaux standard in this respect. 
 
 Commercial (oak) tannin is not, chemically, 
 or hygienically, the same as wine tannin; and 
 its use Bhould, as a rule, be restricted to the 
 fining process. This process, as now largely 
 practiced, is responsible for a great deal of 
 the fault found elsewhere with California 
 wines. Our winemakers have not mastered 
 the fact that fining is the last process in 
 the finishing of wine ; that it is in every 
 
 instance an evil with respect to the delica- 
 cy and zest of the product, and should be 
 practiced as sparingly as possible; and that a 
 very large proportion of well-made, sound wines 
 never need fining at all, if subjected to appro- 
 priate after-treatment, notably to frequent 
 racking and aeration. It is here, especially, 
 that hygienic treatment, instead of medication, 
 needs to be generally adopted. 
 
 Finally, when wines are not entirely sound— 
 and with the methods of fermentation now in 
 vogue this is a very prevalent condition — the 
 remedy to be applied should not lie in the use of 
 antiseptics, sulphuring, salicylic or boracic acids 
 and the like, but in the simple and rational heat- 
 ing process devised by Pasteur, and named for 
 him. The 11 Pasteurizer " should be an indispen- 
 sable appliance in every wine-house; and its 
 use, if properly understood and practiced, will 
 at once do away with nine-tenths of all doctor- 
 ing for unsoundness. The universal adoption 
 of this simple and inexpensive expedient will 
 save all losses now sustained in the shipment of 
 our young wines, and will soon do away with 
 the reproach that "California wines will not 
 keep." 
 
 If in the face of all these facts and legitimate 
 substitutes for medication, there are those whc 
 desire to adhere to the old doctoring system, it 
 is at least the right of those who do without 
 them and furnish the consumers the pure prod- 
 uct of the grape, to have a legalized mode of ex- 
 pressing the fact on the packages. 
 
 E. W. Hilgard. 
 
 Berkeley, February 11, 1887.