NEW ZEALAND WINE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIII, Issue 10598, 6 March 1895, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND WINE.

SIGNOB BEOQATO'S VISIT. New Zealand wine has not, it must be confessed, taken a high place amongst the world’s vintages, and it has been more than hinted by those in high places that palatable wine need not bo counted as a New Zealand product. The rulers of the country, however, in this as in many other questions, have quietly differed from the objectors, and the capabilities of the colony for wine production have been esteemed of sufficient value to warrant tho invitation of an expert from Victoria to report thereupon. Our visitor is Signor Brogato, viticnltnral expert to the Government of Victoria, by whose consent he is paying a two months’ visit to this colony to report upon the suitability of its soil and climate for the growth of grapes for wine-making and distillation purposes. Signor Brogato has studied and practised viticulture in all its branches in Italy and Auotria, and holds the highest credentials of hia ability as a student and instructor. His course of study occupied thirteen years, and embraced agricultural chemistry, pathology and other cognate subjects, as well as architecture. Coming to the last Melbourne Exhibition, his abilities became known to tho Government of Victoria, and he was engaged as expert and instructor in grape-growing and wine-making in Victoria.

Arrived in New Zealand, Signor Brogato was met by Mr Blackmore, Government Pomologiat, and conducted through the famed Central and South Otago fruitgrowing regions. The first trip was by Queenstown, Hay’s Lake and Speargrass Flat, returning by tho Shotover to Qdeenstown. In this district the soil was of suitable quality for the growth of the grape, but the temperature was doubtful. The next journey was through Arrowtown and district, over the Crown Range to Cardrona and Pembroke, and from Pembroke to the head of Lake Wanaka, from whence a grand view is obtained of Lake Hawea. Prom Pembroke, also, journeys were made to Mr Turnbull’s station at Lake Wanaka, where magnificent peaches, plums and apricots were seen and grapes were nearly ripe. Over these districts and from Pembroke to Queensbury, the country is rather patchy; where sheltered and with good aspect grapes, peaches and plums grow freely and there are heavy crops of walnuts. The soil and climate were considered suitable for the growth of grapes for brandy, bat scarcely for wine.

From Queenstown route was taken to Cromwell and Bannockburn, where fine crops of grapes were found to be ripening; thence to Clyde and along the valleys and foothille of the Dunstan ranges and the Duns tan Plat. In these districts the soil and climate were found to be suitable for the growth of grapes for either brandy or wine.

Earnseleugh Plat, Fraser’s Plat, Poverty Flat (opposite Alexandria), Conroy’s Gully (where Mr Dawson has grapes of the finest quality) and Butcher’s Gully, are localities suitable for the production of grapes of the highest excellence.. The same is reported of Bald Hill Plat. Roxburgh Fiat, Coal Creek Flat, Moa Flat and other parts of that district are also eminently suited for grape culture, but at present the wrong varieties are grown. Below Moa Fiat the coastal climate is again encountered, and grapes do not thrive.

All the Central Otago district has a schist soil which is particularly suitable for viticulture, so much so that analyses of the soil are being obtained. Ho such suit* able soil, containing all the elements for successful growing of vegetables and fruit, has been seen elsewhere. There sro natural facilities for the irrigation o! the shingle subsoils, while the clay subsoils can be kept in a productive condition by cultivation. The only matter for regret is that records of the temperature and rainfall have not been kept, and this is to ba rectified forthwith. Several of the moat suitable varieties of grapes for wine-making are already being grown in Central Otago, namely. Black Hermitage, Golden Chasselas and Brown Muscat. To these should be added Burgundy, Riesling and Tokay; and, for brandy-making. La Polle, Trebiano and Aramont, some of which varieties may, however, be found in the Hawke's Bay vineyards. There need be no difficulty in introducing any varieties which may bo required. The vines could be imported under expert supervision, free from any danger of phylloxera or other pests. Raisin varieties are unprofitable, ae Victoria has this year a production of 15,000 to 20,000 tons of raisins, which have to be sold against European produce laid down at about lid per lb in bond in Melbourne. There are about 30,000 acres of vines in Victoria. The market for wine and brandy, on the other hand, is practically unlimited. In order to the development of the wine industry Signor Brogato considers it essential that an experimental station should be established, for giving instruction in the cultivation of fruit and the making of wine. There are fifty or sixty of these stations in Italy, with about forty agricultural stations. These are divided into “superior” or technical and “ inferior ” —or operative schools. The former supply the directors and the latter the foremen of the vineyards, and the effect the system has had upon the wine industry is seen in the fact that whereas it was formerly impossible to obtain a few hundred gallons of wine of one quality, now hundreds of thousands of gallons of uniform quality are turned out. The wine crop of Italy now amounts to upwards of 680,000,000ga1s per annum. A viticaltnral station under a thoroughly good instructor—and such a man is not easily obtained—would educate, say, two or three hundred students m the industry, and they in turn would teach others, so that the industry would scon be built up on soundf lines. The cultural, as well as the wine-making branches of the industry, would be systematically taught. As is shown by the itinerary at the early part of these notes, there are tens of thousands of acres in Central Otago alone that are suitable for the cultivation of grapes for wine or brandy. The'colder localities will produce grapes for brafldy; they should be of a light, tart character; and need not be quite ripe. For wine a more genial soil and climate are necessary, and these are found in the central region. The temperance aspect of the question is also familiar to Signor Brogato. Ho asserts that wine-drinking is less pernicious than the drinking of ardent spirits or beer; indeed, that wine-drinking nations have a greater vitality and a greater respect for sobriety than those which consume other beverages. In Austria, Signor Brogato states, drunkenness is the worst of crimes ; a man seen ■ intoxicated would lose every friend, position and everything. Signor Brogato and Mr Blackmore will visit Akaroa and Nelson, and then the former will be conducted through the vinegrowing districts of the North Island by Mr Palmer, the pomologisfc for that part of New Zealand. Signor Brogato’s visit has undoubtedly had the effect of disclosing ahitherto unsuspected—-or, at any rate unappreciated—resource, which may be developed into an important industry.