The Art of Living in Australia: Together with Three Hundred Australian Cookery Recipes and Accessory Kitchen Information by Mrs. H. WickenMuskett, Philip E.
Science
The Art of Living in Australia: Together with Three Hundred Australian Cookery Recipes and Accessory Kitchen Information by Mrs. H. Wicken
Muskett, Philip E.
Australia -- Social life and customs; Cooking, Australian; Health; Hygiene
Then we have Tokay (pronounced Tok'-ay), so nearly corresponding to the
Furmint, which is the chief grape grown in the well-known Tokay
vineyards of Hungary. It yields a most excellent wine, and does well in
the same regions as the preceding. And lastly, Verdeilho (pronounced
Ver-dell'-o) deserves to be referred to amongst the white wines. It is
the principal white variety grown in Madeira, and Madeira is a wine
that is especially held in repute. It is better suited for the warm
districts, and requires to be completely ripe before vintage.
It was a most fortunate thing for Australia, therefore, that her
pioneers in viticulture were men like James Busby, who obtained
their plants from the finest "cepages" in Europe. And this is a
magnificent legacy which must inevitably exercise a powerful influence
for ever on the Australian vine. Mr. Hubert de Castella drew special
attention to this very fact in his paper read before the Royal Colonial
Institute, London, in 1888: so that a beginning was made under the most
auspicious conditions.
There are some interesting facts in connection with the different
"cepages" which are certainly worth noticing. If the climate and the
soil in one place be similar to the climate and soil in another, each
variety--LE CEPAGE--of the grape will always produce the same wine.
Thus some vineyards on the Yarra, Victoria, having a similar climate
and similar soil to one of the great Bordeaux districts of France,
produced a wine hardly to be distinguished from that of the latter.
Then, again, one vine may produce a choice wine in one locality, but
only an indifferent growth in another; and, conversely, a different
"cepage" which does well in the latter region is almost a failure in
the former. For instance, in France, the Gamay in the Beaujolais
district, in which the soil is granitic, gives a superior wine to the
Pinot; but, on the other hand, the Pinot in the Burgundy country, where
there is a limestone formation, gives forth a world-famous wine, whilst
the Gamay is nowhere in comparison.
Next, it is necessary to remember that the effect of a warmer climate
is to increase the alcoholic strength of a wine. At the same time,
however, it must not be forgotten that this effect is greater in some
varieties than in others. One "cepage," giving in a cool region a wine
of 18 per cent. of alcohol, when transported to a warmer locality may
show an increase to 26 per cent. of alcohol. Another "cepage," showing
20 per cent. in the lower temperature, may only develop 23 per cent. in
the hotter districts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account