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VINEGROWERS' ASSOCIATION.
Annual Meeting.
The annual meeting of the South Australian
Vinegrowers' Association was held at Register
Chambers on Wednesday. There was a good
attendance of members, and Mr. T. Hardy
(president) occupied the chair. Mr. H. J.
Scott stated that the Government had com
missioned Mr. George Sutherland to write a
handbook on elementary vinegrowing.
GOVERNMENT VITICUIiTUBIST.
The Chief Secretary wrote stating that Mr.
A. J. Perkins had been appointed viticulfcurist
for the colony.
president's report.
The Chairman read his annual report,
which stated : — ' At the last annual meeting
held in May, 1891, it was resolved that this
meeting should be held on the third Wednes
day in May and quarterly meetings in
August, November, and February, which has
been adhered to and found to be more con
venient to members. Various recommenda
tions to the Royal Agricultural and Horti
cultural Society regarding the prize-list for
wines, spirits, &c, have been made, and will
be carried into effect Arrangements were
made for the exhibitknof wines at the Tas
manian Exhibition, and £200 was placed by
the Government at the disposal of this associa
tion for the purpose. Mr. H. J. Soott was
appointed to superintend the same and to
represent the exhibitors, and his long
experience in exhibitions enabled him
to do the best possible with the
means planed at his disposal. The
Chicago Exhibition received attention, but
it was not generally deemed advisable, for this
colony to exhibit wines, except in a general
display of the products of all the Australian
colonies, of which owing to the action of New
South.,Wales there is but little hope. The
recommendation of the. -association that.- a
-handbook of viticulture should be published by
the Government is aboutto be carried out, and
it is hoped the farther recommendation — that
prizes should be offered for short essays on
vinegrowing and the best be appended to the
handbook — will be adopted. The appointment
of a yitioultural expert received the earnest
attention of the council, with the gratifying
result that the Government have appointed
Mr. Perkins, of Tunis and the Montpellier
College of Agriculture, who will soon arrive
among us. A student from the Viticulture!
College of Cornegliano, in Italy, who is now
among us, has contributed some valuable hints
on fermentation. A list of the growers of vines
of an acre and upwards was supplied by the
Government statist, from which it appears
that there are over 1X00 in the colony. The
export of wines from South Australia con
tinues to steadily increase from year to year,
having risen from a total of 221,885 gallons in
1890 to 266,814 gallons in bulk and 19,350 in
bottle in 1891, an increase of more than 64,000
over that of the previous year, which may be
regarded as highly satisfactory, showing that
our wines maintain their prestige in England
and other markets. A very general desire to
extend 'the business of vinegrowing is mani
fested all over the older settled districts of the
colony, and large additions have been made
during the past year to the acreage
under vines, and preparations for still
further and larger extensions are being
made for the coming planting season.
It is sincerely hoped that all future planting .
will consist of a larger proportion of the finer
kinds of vines than has been the case hitherto ;
then, with a better quality of grape, and in
creased knowledge of fermentation, we shall
still further improve'the quality of our wines.
The Government have been repeatedly asked
: to allow an equal number of secondhand casks
to be imported free of duty to those sent put
of the colony by each shipper, but so far with
out result. As this is only a fair and just
claim, and not likely to injure the coopers, we
must still ootitinue to press for it, and it is also
very desirable that certain kinds of bottles
that cannot be made here may be allowed to
come in free of duty.' ??
FINANCE.
Tie Seceetamy (Mr. C. M. Bagofc) reported
that there was a small cash balance in hand,
and that a number of subscriptions were still
outstanding.
ELECTION OP OFFICERS.
Mr. Hardy having announced that he did
not intend to stand for the position of president
for the ensuing year. Mr. C. B. Young moved
that Mr. W. P. Auld be appointed. Mr. W.
F. Snow seconded the motion, which was car
ried. Mr. Hardy was elected vice-president.
The council was elected as follows : — Messrs.
H.| M. Martin, S. Sage, R. V. Cholmondeley,
H. J. Soott, G. F. Cleland, W. F. Snow, E. B.
Young, E. Mazure, and J. Gillard, jun.
WINES IN TASMANIA. ']'?- : ,
Mr. H. J. Scott presented the following re
port on the Launoeston Exhibition '.-~* The.
Launoeston Exhibition was organised by oom-j:
misskmers in the same maimer'tebnr^ Jubilee
Exhibition, and opened by bis ExoeUenoy Hie -
Governor, Sir Robert Han&iai], on JJoyember ?
-2-, 189L ~' Originally intended *o be open only
- three jnonthB, . it was -so .well attended - by
visitors from 'the other colonies and by
country people of Tasmania that it was not ?
until April before the final closing ceremony
took place. Like our own exhibition, the final
results to the commissioners proved satisfac
tory, with a balance to their credit. The
Government of South Australia made a grant
of £200 towards the expense of fitting up a
proper reception-room for the use of visitors,
and also for a sampling-room, where a stock of
our best wines could be freely sampled. The
room was fitted up with every convenience and
comfort, and the better classes of Tasmania
' enjoyed the hospitality of South Australia,
and became acquainted with the merits of' our
wines. The wine bar for selling wines by
retail was under the control of the Taamanian
commissioners, who entirely managed the
sales, and whose results have been placed
before the finance committee. It was a joint
united Australasian exhibit, comprising wines
from New South Wales, Victoria, and South
Australia, but the sales were not equal in
amount to that of the New Zealand
Exhibition, because the almost prohibi
tive duty imposed by the Tasmanian
Government on Australian- wines has pre
vented the expansive growth of the consump
tion of wine in Tasmania. The duty, amount
ing to 8s. per gallon for wines in bottle, is more
than equal to the value of the wine in South
Australia, and the result is that Australian
wines have not that sale which their qualities
of purity and excellence entitle them to take in
the Australian colonies. This may,, however,
be remedied by our Government entering into
a reciprocal treaty with Tasmania for the free
interchange of natural products under an
Enabling Act, 37 Via, No. 10, passed in 1873.
Your representative proceeded to Hobart and
interviewed the Premier of Tasmania and
members of his Government, whom he found
ready and willing to enter into a practical free
trade treaty for the exchange of natural pro
ducts. The Hon. P. O. Fysh is now in
Adelaide, and our Government will fully
discuss the subject with him. There is un
doubtedly an extended field for the sale of our
full-bodied wines in Tasmania, as upwards of
20,000 gallons of foreign wines were admitted
last year, whilst oar Customs authorities show
that less than 3,000 gallons came from Sonth
Australia. The number of winemakers ex
hibiting from South Australia was 10. The
awards they received were greater in number
and value than all of Victoria and New South
Wales combined, the total, including first
prize for champagne, indicates the high posi
tion our winemakers have attained to, as they,
secured 15 special first awards, 19 first prizes, 8
second prizes, no third, and 2 highly com
mended. There can be no doubt that the in
fluence of the Tasmanian Exhibition upon the
consumption of Australian wines will be great,
notpnly in that island but also throughout the
Australian colonies because of the great
TOUxjber of intercolonial visitors who were
entertained in our reception-room, the expen
diture of £200 by the Government being amply
justified by the results of an expansion of the
win)t industry in South Australia.'
. HtiGLIBH MAEKET FOB SOUTH AUSTRALIAN
?' -'?:-? ; WINES.
Mr. E. B. Young read the following report
on ihe English market for South Australian
wines;— 'In laying before you the impressions
I have received on my recent visit to London I
will in the first place bring before your notice
the disadvantages we have to contend with in
making * i^arket for our wines in comparison
with France. A shipment of wine after the
order ? has been received this end, as we all
know, is some six weeks on the journey before
a buyer can even see it, and probably another
10 day? or more before it is unloaded and de
tivered&o his cellars. Having got it there he
finds it sick and very much ontof condition.
For you' vmiist remember that this wine
has gone thrctiigh many vicissitudes. Sometimes
— that is when shipped in the summer — it has
experienced perhaps several days1 exposure to
our fieroert heat and changeable weather. It
has subsequently to travel for. a fortnight at
all seaeons^of *he year through the very hottest
of weather^ that is from several degrees south
of the lfee to Suez. The thermometer I
noticed mjBelf on the voyage ranging to over
90' even ft: our cabins, and then not in the
hottest setton of the year. It has then very
probably to experience a sadden change to
eold upon entering the Mediterranean, with an
increasingly cold temperature, especially in the
winter time, to the end of its voyage. And
my experience has proved to me that
many of our wines, especially the yonng
wines and wines that have not been
thoroughly well' made, undergo very consider
able and detrimental change. This remark
applies in a more or less degree to all our wines.
A good wine, well matured, will recover in
tine, a faulty wine or a young wine never, but
will permanently retain the marks of the
voyage. I made very careful enquiries on this
subject, and I may mention that on my
journey to London through Italy I naturally
made a point of tasting the Italian wines
wherever I could. There was one wine I met
with not dissimilar in character to many of our
own wines, called Chianti, for which I paid
about la 6d. the pint-bottle. I came across
the same brand in London, but the quality was
very much inferior to that tasted in Italy.
I mentioned this fact to an expert
who has had considerable experience
in Italian wines, and his opinion was
that there was not the least doubt that Italian
wines suffered on the journey, and that it was
not possible to obtain Italian : wines in London
equal to those sold in Italy itself. Here you
have a fortnight's journey in a comparatively
even temperature, so that our wines must
undergo a very much severer test in their
journey of 12,000 miles. And the fact is that
it requires a period of from four to six months'
rest before any of our wines thoroughly recover
and arrive at a fit and proper condition to
bottle. I have tasted at private houses in
England Australian wines (stout wines of a
Burgundy character) which had evidently been
bottled too soon and quite spDiled, which
otherwise, no doubt, would have been very
good wines. Now, Bordeaux is ^within about
three days' sail of London, and they
can moreover choose pretty well their
own weather for shipping. The conse
quence is that their wines almost in
variably arrive in London in good condition,
and can be fined and bottled in a month from
the time the merchant has given his order,
which gives him the additional advantage of
not being under the necessity of keeping large
stocks of wine on hand. We are here at an
enormous disadvantage. Then, too, the French
firms send tbeir representatives to visit their
customers at least twice a year and arrange the
details of their business and obtain settlement.
Furthermore, it costs but 5s. to 6s. 6cL per hogs
head to ship wines from France to London, as
compared with 15s. to 20s. A -French wine,
too, is a readily saleable* article in England,
whereas an Australian has to be forced. We
are thus confronted with a great many draw
backs which the French are not liaole to, and
very naturally the London wine merchant
weighs all this in the balance, and arrives, at
the conclusion that it is not worth his while
to trouble himself about our wines. Leaving
for a moment the consideration of what means
should be adopted to meet these difficulties,
let us consider what class of wine is most
likely to find favor with the British public.
I am of course aware that a fair quantity
of our wine is already being disposed of in
the London market, and no doubt there will
always be -some kind of sale for our cheap
wines, and every encouragement possible
should be given to those who have been enter
prising enough to make that market]; but what
we shall have to consider is not merely the
Bale of a paltry few hundred thousands of
gallons, bul if our planting of vineyards is to
continue we shall have to deal in millions of
gallons. Let me clear the way a little farther,
so far as our present purposes are concerned,
of the question of wines for blending. Upon
this point I was not able to obtain any very
concise information. I believe that many of
our wines are ;well adapted for this purpose,
and I was told were used for such, but to
what extent it was difficult ' to find out.
No doubt it is a point upon which
those who practice it would not be over
communicative. This trade might probably
always be done. But would it be wise to
allow ourselves to drift too far into this class
of trade ? On the contrary, had we not muoh
better take higher ground and a more inde
pendent stand, and establish bur own name
and brands on the London 'market. On the
one hand, we shall for ever be entirely in the
hands of a few blenders who will screw us
down to the lowest point, but on the other
hand we are quite independent of any .one,
and the possibilities and chances open to us
are comparatively unlimited. Our position is,
that we nave to build up a trade gradually as
planting progresses and stocks increase, and
this is no doubt a difficult task, but
one that we need not in the least fear
to tackle, if we only exercise proper care. In
order to gain any real footing, unless at an
unwarrantable expense, we must enlist the
services of the London wine merchant, who up
to the present declines to take us by the hand,
and in order to do this we must supply him
with a wine that he can safely recommend to
his customers. One thing at present we have
greatly in our favor — and a very great factor, if
turned to proper account, it will prove — and
that is the great disposition on the part of the
English people to use wine the produce of the
colonies. . 'We ought to encourage the
colonies,' was a little patriotic speech I heard
from all sides when speaking on the subject.
But that sentiment must be kept alive and
fostered by giving them an article that
suits them, and this is the very crux
of tthe whole matter, and one upon which
we should make it our business to most care
fully enquire. The sentiment will vanish into
thin air the moment they come into contact
with an article, whether from France or else
where, which they think cheaper or more
according .to their taste. Everything equal,
and Australia will get the preference, and a
.very.. valuable help this should prove to
us. It is the match to light the fire
with, and we must not let our matches
get damp. Now in visiting the various .
wine mertSssnts I found them very ready .
' to give one. any reformation they could. From
all I learnt of the great increase in recent
years of the quantity and improvement in
the quality of the French .wises. In their
practical way they would suggest a
morning at tasting, which meant 4hat: I
was to bring samples of Australian wine and:
put a price on them, against which they would
place several French wines of values somewhat -
similar. The sample bottles are placed in
pigeonholes and a screen drawn over them,
with the same number of glasses on the table
in front and numbered or lettered. In your
absence a disinterested person fills the glasses,
which are left in the corresponding positions to
the bottles. After thoroughly tasting the
various samples you set down on paper.the order .
in which you would place the wines according
to their quality. In this way Igainedagood deal
of information on the subject of French clarets
and burgundies, the latter of which our wines
most ^resemble, and what surprised me more
than anything was the good quality of many
of the cheaper classes of French wines. The
clarets are no doubt for the most part very thin
wines, but on the whole they were soft, clean, -
not unpleasant to the taste, and always sound.
I tasted wines that were sold to the grocers for
retail at Is. a bottle that were really very good,
immeasurably superior to any Australian wines
of a cheap character. Those I tasted in
London were usually quite undrinkable, if
not transmuted out of all recognition,
and any attempt to compete with France
on a large scale in low - class cheap
wines I am thoroughly persuaded would
be futile. In the first place the expense of
transit is a very heavy handicap, and our
casks, too, cost very much more than the
French shipper pays for his. But these are
disadvantages which are almost lost, or at any
rate are very greatly lessened, wven dealing in
higher class wines. I may also mention,- in
parenthesis, that I was informed that there
was a considerable sale for French Burgundy, *
and as our wines somewhat resemble this class
of wine the fact is noteworthy. There is an'
enormous class in England who consume wines
at from about 18s. to 24s. a dozen, and it is
this custom, in my .opinion, that we should
strive to cultivate. We have the ability
to produce good wines at excellent
profit to sell to the wine merchant
for retail at these prices. Nor do I hold in the -
least with the generally-expressed opinion that
we require such enormous quantities of wine of
the same age and character. The wine trade
of England is not in the hands of a few persons,
but on the contrary they are a very numerous
class, and one man would not require to be
supplied with the large quantities we have
been in the habit of hearing quoted as neces
sary to make it worth his while to take up the
trade. What he requires is that he may be
supplied witK a similar wine in tha following
years, and a guarantee that he does not get
something different with his next order. Oae
merchant informed me that he had ordered 70
hogsheads from an Australian firm upon a'
sample, but not only did the wine differ very
considerably from the sample, $bnt there were
different qualities of wine in the same parcel,
and I heard many complaints of the bad con
dition the wines arrived in, and of their im
maturity. Now it is obvious of the many dis- '
advantages we are under in comparison with
France ; eome we can never eliminate, but it
certainly behoves us to use our utmost
endeavors, to surmount those which it does lie
in our power to do. If we are to cultivate the
London wine merchant we must establish a
depot of our own in London, where our wines
can be housed and properly nursed until they
are fit to be offered to the trade. You have
only for a moment to consider the matter to
come to this conclusion,, especially after the
experience London merchants have had. With
a depot you introduoe him to the bulk and he
can then and there taste for himself what you
have to offer, which you have previously as
sured yourself is in a good sound healthy con
dition, and he can have five or ten hhds.
in a day or two, according to his requirements.
It relieves him from all the trouble and vexa-.
tion of shipments from Australia, which he.
plainly tells you he will have nothing to do
with, and it places him on a footing with the
French wines in regard to stocks. Ishould not
advocate the expenditure of any large sums
of money in advertising and making a great
splash, but) an agent would require a email
fund tor the purpose of making our
brands thoroughly well known in all the trade
journals and so forth. Of course it ia very
essential in a matter so important as our re
lations with London— for with it is involved
the regulation of the planting of our vine
yards— to arrive at a definite conclusion as to
what our aitpsehould be, with a corresponding
idea of how they should be carried out, and it
is from a sense of this importance that I have
responded to the subpoena— if I may so call
- it— to give evidence before this society and lay
before you the results of what I have gathered
during my recent visit to England, which has
led me to the conviction, briefly told, that
we must cultivate the London wine trade
with a well-made and matured _ wine
showing quality and finesse, with a
depot in Lokdon and an active agent,
and one withal who has some knowledge
of our wines, to secure our interests. I see no
' pressing necessity for the establishment of any
' large companies to buy up our wines at this
end, provided growers will only provide
storage for say three vintages. I have been
asked whether in my opinion our wines
would be better matured here or in England.
This question is partly answered by the
question of young wines suffering in transit j
but further than this, London cellars
are generally very cold and damp,
and it appears to me that our dry
and well-arranged cellars are much more
suitable for the develoDment of our wines, and
the cost of storage here is much less. Hitherto
my remarks have been confined to dry
red wines. In regard to other wines; of
white wines except sparkling, I could not
learn that there was any demand. There
appears to be a very considerable sale of port
wine' in London, mostly light in character,
pale ' in color, and not too sweet. But unless
we are prepared to supply wines at very muoh
lower rates than those at present quoted by our
growers I see but the slenderest chance of our
being able to compete with Spain and Portugal.
Full,', soft, dean, generous wines were selling
at rates much below those quoted for Aus
tralian wines. If we have settled in our
minds the policy we ought to pursue
our . bext consideration is, of course, the
means of carrying that policy into execu
tion. If we had an agency established
in London it would give encouragement to our
growers to make and to turn out the wine
requked. The establishment of such an agency
is nojdoubt the difficult part of the matter. In
Italy -the Government has .come to the rescue,
and for this information I am indebted to the
kindness of Signor Zilliotto, who has furnished
me w|th some books and papers on the subjeot,
from; which it .appears that the Government
appoints at .the. principal ports of shipment a
wine i analyst, 'who places the Government
brand upon all wine passing the standard. The
brand is not compulsory, but it stamps it as
a pure -wine. In addition to this the
Government has appointed wine agents
in various large towns in Europe and
America— London, Vienna, Munich, Lu
cerne, -Buenos Ayres, - for example. Alto
gether I believe there are some 17 of such
agencies at the present time, wko receive and
house the wines, and whose business it is to
study how to increase and establish a good
trade between Italy and the respective markets
of consumption. The whole of this is entirely
at the expense of the Government. There is
one other matter I would like to mention. W«
Australians have one great lesson to learn.
We must rid ourselves of the notion that any
thing is saleable in London. London, of all the
world, stands absolutely alone in respect of
being in direct communication with every
corner of the earth. Her position in this respect
is truly marvellous. It must be remembered,
too, th-vb she is within a fev hours' com
munication of countries like France, Spain,
and Belgium, and four days of the continent of
America, and thus with her free trade Bhe has
the whole of the world competing in one
enormouB struggle for her markets. It actually
costs less to send fruit from the south of
France to London than from Norfolk. ' There
fore, to secure a footing in Ihe London markets
is not to be thought lightly of, particularly as
if we wish to come in we have to oast some one
else. , Our opportunities, despite dl this, are,
nevertheless, very great. - I refer not merely
to trite but to our produce generally.
England, I am sure, shows eveiy desire to
look with pride upon her colonies, and if we
serve them well that feeling wil grow into
one of great and practical benefit to us, and
open up to us almost boundless possibilities.
If our opportunities are great oir arrange
ments for utilising them and extending our
operations are to say the least vary poor in
comparison with the issue at state, and I am
afraid our manner of placing our products
before the British public is very inferior tof
that of our Continental rivals. Forinstanoe, I
was much struck with the neat and inviting
way the fruit from Spain and tie south of
France was packed and exhibited for sale at
the Cpvent Garden Market. It b therefore
incumbent upon us to do all thit possibly
lies in our power to make our produce as
attractive as may be, and to use etery means
at our, command of equalising the lisparity of
distanpe that handicaps us in competition with
foreign countries.
-' Mr: Snow said he agreed with M-. Young to :
a great extent, and he badgraspel the situa- ,
' tion in a remarkable manner. Of sourse they
had many difficulties to deal with to get the '
wine into the London market safe uid sound,
one being the trouble of the Bed Sa. Mr. T.
Scott said #hey should adopt a national cask
in which to export their wine so tait it would
become known all over the world, fhey might
try Belgium, as there was a good narket for
Burgundy there. Messrs. J. JE. Fills & Go.,
of Great Tooley-etreet, London, were the
people they should endeavor to secure to help
to make South Australian wines kn-wn. Mr.
R. Haedt moved a vote of thaiks to Mr.
Young, and said the vinegrowers should try
to secure cellars in the old country lo that the
wines sent home could be Btored and tested
before being sold for consumption. Mr.
Gillard, jun., in . seconding, said - if
our wines - were allowed s month's
rest after arrival in London theywould turn
out Jar better than when they fust arrived.
The Chairman said he thoroughly igreed with
Mr. Soung when he said they shoud only send
home' 4&e best wines,- and' in order to do that
theyjmust plant only the best vine. (Hear,
hear.)' .' ?'???.' .?'??-?? 'rr- r ?'?- f
The motion was carried. - i
FERMENTATION.] ?':/. ... '^ ;. .
The Chairman made the folloiri^rBmarkson .
the fermentation of wines:— The ^question I
wish to have discussed at this meeting 'is—'
'What effect has the temperature of the
grapes' when crushed on the fermentation?'
It is, I believe, a very general opinion among
winemakers that the cooler the grapes are
when brought into the presshouse the lower in
temperature and more regular will be the fer
mentation in the vat, and the result a better
wine. Some aver that they have made a good
wine when the temperature has gone in the
vat to over 100° Fahr., but I doubt if any wine
so made will turn out well after a few months.
I have a strong suspicion that nearly all the
defective fermentation that often produces the
sweet sour wines is due to the great heat en
gendered in the fermenting vat. No doubt our
viticultural instructor will be able to study this
point, and give us the benefit of his knowledge.
If it be conceded that it is desirable to keep
down the temperature in the vat it will be
profitable to discuss how it can be done,
and I think there are at least four ways that
may be tried. The first will be by the use of
cold water passed through a coil sunk a few
inches below the surface. If water could be
got from a well in the fermenting cellar it is
possible to keen up a circulation of it through
a coil by pumping, and in an inexpensive way
to cool the grapes as soon as they are put into
'the vat.* Another way, and perhaps the best
on a large scale, would be by the use of some
of, the. cold-air machines now in use for re
frigerating purposes. Another way suggested
- by Signor ' Zilliotto-^that . the yeast can be
attenuated1' or sterilised by the use of
a chemical agent' seems to me worthy
of further trial during the next vintage.
A fourth plan, which I venture to think may
- be easily done, is to lay down on the ground all
: grapes .gathered in hot weather after 10 a.m. ;
conisacks cut open would do for the purpose of
laying the grapes to a depth of 3 cr 4 inches.
They could be eaajly gathered up by two men
and loaded early in the morning by using a
two-handled oval basket or tuhof sheet-iron or
tin, and need not be crushed in handling if
ordinary care is used. In this way cool grapes
could nearly always be insured, as there will
be hardly any nights during winemaking that
the temperature will not go to 70 Fahr. or below.
The principal objections to this will be the
-extra trouble of spreading and loading, and
that the whole of the day's gathering will have
to be in the prese-house before mid-day, but I
think the work in the presshouse could be
arranged to meat that contingency well enough,
at any rate it can be tried by any one, and the
results noted for future guidance.
The; discussion was adjourned. A hearty
vote of thanks was accorded to the retiring
president.
$