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
"Even in the cooler districts of Victoria, such as the Yarra Valley, I
do not know of any variety of vine which is weakened by long pruning,
even in a series of years; while certain varieties are so influenced by
short pruning as to bear no fruit at all. If this be the case on the
Yarra, how much more must it be so on the Murray?"
Mr. de Castella then referred to some other matters connected with the
practices followed at Mildura, and concluded with these encouraging
words:--
"I contend that no other culture will give such magnificent returns, do
so much good to a country, or have greater attractions for the happy
proprietor of the vineyard, as there is no branch of agriculture which
presents such a vast field for experimental research, or which is so
extensively benefited by the practical application of scientific laws
and principles, as viticulture."
THE MAKING OF THE WINE--THE CELLAR.
Up till this time our whole attention has been taken up with everything
that has to do with the production of the grape. But with the gathering
of the crop a complete change has taken place, for nature no longer
exercises such a controlling influence. At this stage the art of
winemaking really begins, and the climate, the soil, and all the other
factors that have so much to do with the growth of the grape assist us
no longer. From the moment that the grapes are gathered till the wine
is ready for bottling is a most eventful period; for, during this
important time, under proper treatment, wine may be made to reach
perfection.
Indeed, it is only by paying the most minute attention to all the
details connected with the making of wine that Australian vignerons
will succeed in placing our wines before all others; because it is very
important to remember that the must produced in Australia is
equal, if not superior, to any in the world. Now, all that follows this
portion relates to wine-making alone; and it should for that very
reason, therefore, possess a special interest for us. Moreover, it will
be a good thing for the wine industry, for Australia, and for her
people, when such an interest becomes part of our daily life.
Naturally the first thing to suggest itself, therefore, in the making
of the wine, is the place in which it is made. There is no doubt that
in Australia the importance of a proper cellar has never been
sufficiently appreciated. But the French have a proverb, "the cellar
makes the wine," showing that it plays no inconsiderable part in the
production of good wine. As Mr. Walter W. Pownall, the representative
of the Australian Wine Company, explained before the Vegetable Products
Commission in Victoria, a knowledge of cellar routine and cellar work
would aroid the spoiling of much good wine. A man thinks when he has
grown the wine that is all that is necessary. But the fact is, a
wine-grower has never done with his wine till it has passed out of his
hands.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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