AUSTRALIAN WINES. The wines of Australia are very similar to those of California, and are popular in England. The industry is growing rapidly and is of considerable importance.
Flu'acrt WINES. The production of wine is one of the leading industries of France, 78 of the 86 departments producing it in large quantities. Until 187:i France easily led the world. but in the following years her vineyards were devastated by the phylloxera, which reduced the acreage be tween the year 1875 and 1S87 from 5,550.000 acres to 3.722,000, and the output of wine from 1.810.000.000 gallons to 535,000,000. Since the latter (late vineyards have been restored by grafting on resistant American varieties, and the industry is again flourishing. The best known types of wine made in France are the Bordeaux. Burgundy, Champagne, and Sauterne. The wines of Sanger, of Jura, and the light wines of Southern France are also worthy of mention. These in turn are divided and subdivided accord ing to local geographical and climatic conditions and the varieties of grapes employed. The wines produced in the region of the Gironde, in and near the Province of Bordellais, are commonly called Bordeaux, a class including a large num ber of wines with somewhat widely varying characteristics. They are all full, astringent, acid, usually rich in coloring matter, and have a medium alcohol content; their average com position is: alcohol, 10.5 per cent.; total acids, 0.60 per cent; tannin, 0.175 per cent.; body. 2.3 per cent. Among the grapes employed in the preparation of Bordeaux are the Cabernet, Ver dot, Merlot, Malbeek, Teinturier, Carnal, and Charlton°. ..Nlany light wines are made in this region, however, and these are usually blended with those having a higher percentage of alcohol before being placed on the market.
The great demand for Bordeaux wines and the ravages of the phylloxera have led to extensive adulteration, which consists chiefly in coloring with cherry juice and blending with cheaper Spanish wines. The establishment of the 'en trepots speeiaux' (special bonded warehouses), now abolished, in which Spanish wines were admitted free of duty, mixed with wines of the Gironde region, and exported as Bordeaux wines, led to the exportation of low-grade mixtures under the name of Bordeaux, a which resulted in a loss of reputation for true Bor deaux wines. The use of foreign-wine for mixing has scarcely diminished, as the duty required is only about six cents a gallon. The sophisticated wines are sent mainly to South America. and, it has been charged repeatedly. imported into the 'United States. On the other hand, it is claimed that the high protective tariff adopted by this country has effectually prevented the importa tion of low-priced wines. Certain it is that a very large percentage of the wine imported into the Vnited States from this immediate vicinity is fraudulently labeled, and low-grade Bordeaux wines are commonly sold here under the names of famous brands.
The wines of the Gironde naturally arrango themselves into the following classes: Medoe, Graves. Sauterne. Entre-deux-mers, Saint Erni lionnais, Bourgeais, and Blayais: subdivisions which are, in a sense, geographical and vary in size from three cantons to the greater part of a department. They are also graded according to their supposed relative merits. The first classi fication of the Medoc wines was made in the eighteenth century. and has not been revised since 1855, when six groups were made, the first five called 'classified growths,' and originally valued in the order of their number. This classi fication is rigorously retained, and it is difficult for a wine to be promoted into a higher grade even though it may make such a reputation as will demand a higher price than many in the grades above it.
FiesT Guownt: Chateau Lafitte, Pauillar; Chateau Margaux. Margaux; Chateau Latour, Pauillar; Chateau Dant-Brion, Pessac. SECOND GROWTH : Chateau Mouton, Pauillar; Chateau Rauzan-Se'gla, Margaux; Chateau Ranzan-Gas sies. Margaux; Chateau L('oville-Lascases, Saint Julien ; Chateau L6oville-Poyferre, Saint-Julien; Chateau L6oville-Barton, Saint-Julien; Chateau Durfort-Vivens, Margaux; Chateau Lascombes, Margaux; Chateau Gruand-Larose-Sarget, Saint Julien; Chateau (Inland-Larose, Saint-Julien; Chateau Branne-Cantenac, Cantenac; Chateau Pichon-Longueville, Pauillar; Chateau Piehon Longueville-Lelande, Pauillar; Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, Saint-Julien; Chateau Cos-d'Estour nel, Saint-Estephr: Chateau Montrose. Saint Estipbe. THIRD GROWTH: Chateau Kirwan, Cantcnac; Chateau Yssan, Cantenar; Chateau Lagrange, Saint-Julien; Chateau Langoa, Saint Julien ; Chateau Giscours, Labardr; Chateau Maleseot, Margaux; Chateau Brown-Cantenae, Cantenae; Chateau Palmer, Cantenac; Chateau La Lagane, Lydon; Chateau Desmirail, Mar gaux; Chateau Canon-Segur, Saint-Estlphe; Chateau Ferriere, .11argaus; Chateau Becker, Margaux. FOURTH OGOWTH C11:iteftH Sa f Pierre, Saint-Julien; Chateau Dulne-Branaire, Sa t-Ju ; lean Talbot, Saint-Julien: Chateau Duhart, PuuIlAnr; Chateau Poujet. ("an trum • ; Chateau La-Tour, Saint-Laurent : Cha teau 11ochet, Saint-EsUphr; Chateau Beyehevelle, Saint-dulicn; Chateau Le Prieure, Cantenar; Chat en 11 a rqui se-de•Therme, Margaux. FIFTH GHoWT11: Chateau Pontet-Conet, Pauillar; Cha teau llatailley, Partillar ; Chateau Grand-Puy Lacoste. l'aui//ae; Chateau Dueasse-Grand-Puy, Paui/lae; Chateau Pauillar; Cha teau Lynch-Moussas, Pauillae, Chateau Dauzne, Labardc; Chateau Moutoimr:trmaillineq. Panil tr ; Chateau Le Tertre, Chateau Ilaut Bages Liberal, Panillac; Chateau Pcdeselaux.
Pauillar; Chateau 1:cl?rrave, Sainl-Imarent ; Chateau Caniensae, Saint-I,anrent ; Chateau Cos Labory. Saint-Pst,phe; Chateau Clcre Pam/Tae; Chateau Croizet Paui//ae; teau Cantemerle, Macau.
Each of the Gironde districts makes wines distinctly different from those of the 111111.1* dis tricts. loit this distinction i. not P01111110111V 1111 derSif1011. and the great majority of the Wines of the Gironde region are sold simply as llor deaux, although they might be described more exactly as MCdoe, Graves, or Saint Emilionnais.
The wines of Burgundy, which once ranked highest, are still held in high estimation by con noisseurs. Burgundy is rich in flavor, smooth, velvety, and when aged has a peculiar delicate aroma not present in the new wine. It has a me dium content of alcohol, acid, and body. is very low in tannin, and rather lacking in color. The vineyards, consisting of Pinots. Gamai Noir, and 'Meunier grapes, are located about half any up the hillsides (800-1000 feet high) in the Cute d'Or between Dijon and Chalons. Red and white varieties. which arc made from the same grapes, are equally esteemed. The growths of Burgundy are classified as follows: Red Burgundy: Class i.—Romance-Conti, Chambertin, Clos Vougeot, Richebour,7, and La 'Facile; Class IL—Musigne, Romance, Saint-Vivant, Le Clos, Saint-Georges, Le Corton, Les lionnes Mares, Le Clos du Tart; Class I 11.—Arvelets, Rugiens, Beaumont, Cailles, Cras-'Murge, Boudots, Porrets. Prouliers, Thau rey, Vancrains, Cailleret, Champaigns, Clavoil Ion, Clos Margeot, Clos Tavannes, Noyer, Bart, Carton, Echezaux, FAves, Greves, Ferriere, Sau tenot. White Burguiuly; Class L—Montrachet ; Class IL—Chevalier Montrachet, Batard Mon trachet, Charm's, Courgettes, Genevrieres, Goutte d'Or, Charlemagne. Similar to the wines of Bur gundy, but inferior to them, are those of Chablis and Macon.