Viticulture in New Zealand.

Northland Age, Volume VIII, Issue 7, 6 October 1911, Page 5

Viticulture in New Zealand.

The following oiroular letter from “ The New Zealand Vitioultural Association,” is “for the information of the Government and people of the Dominion.” That the Government having expended a considerable amount of publio money in demonstrating the adaptability of our olimate and of our poorest soil for both the growth of the vine and the manufacture of wines of undoubted exoellenoe and purity, and having advised and enoouraged settlers and others with more or less time to invest their money, time, and labour in vitioulture and the making of wine as a good and remunerative industry ; the legitimate vitioulturiets of New Zealand now look to a good and wise Government to nurture and encourage the industry thus established by instituting careful and generous legislation in its favour. In doing this Government will be faithfully and justly discharging a duty to those who have been induced to spend time, labour and capital in following the oourie so strongly recommended by Government experts. On their part, The New Zealand Viticulturists guarantee their wines shall be absolutely pure, containing nothing but the constituents of pure grape juice. Neither alcohol nor ohemioal or foreign adulterations of any kind will be permitted or tolerated by the Association, and they ohallengo and desire analyses of their wines by the Government or any publio analyst: and should any member of the Association be guilty of violating this guarantee, suoh member shall be immediately and publioly expelled. While the Association prohibits in toto any foreign or ohemioal adulteration of wine, they reserve to themselves the rights as experts or manufacturers to inorease or decrease the natural constituents of pure grape juioe as the publio taste or the vintage season of any year may render neoessary. Fdr example: In a oloudy or moist season the aoidometer very probably will show a preponderance of aoid over the saooharine indicated by the sacoharometer. Under these circumstances it may be necessary to restore the equality of balance by the addition of

grape sugar, whioh is only an inorease in one of the natural constituents of the grape, and not adulteration. Again, it is known that olaret of a very high class can be, and has been, produoed with little or no saocharine assistance; but, unfortunately, the present wine taste of the publio in New Zealand is .not in favour of olaret, or dry and sour wines. Most of these wines, therefore, require a greater portion ,of saocharine matter, i.e., pure oane sugar, to be added in their manufacture. To oall this an adulteration would not be true, and if mistakenly termed so, and forbidden, would entirely prevent New Zealand oompeting against imported wines so oonstruoted or constituted.

This Association entirely reprobates and disoeuntenances the manufacture and sale of wine adulterated with deleterious oompounds, and respeotfally submits that while the oharges recently preferred by the temperanoe party against certain persons of supplying suoh injurious stuff to Maoris and gum-diggers in the North of Auokland remain unproved, and are repudiated by those concerned, it is neither fair nor just that, those who endeavour to prohibit the use of wine should use suoh unproved oharges in their efforts to induo© Government to initiate legislation intended to injure the legitimate wine industry of the country, as oarried on by many gentlemen of high oharaotQr and respectability, who may reasonably look to Government to protect an industry introduced and fostered by themselves. It is also submitted that the free use of pure and good wine does not onoourage inteinperanoe: on the oontrary, as is proved in Fraace, Italy, Austria, Spain, Portugal, and Australia, in which oountiies wine is the drink of the people, intemperanoe and its concomitant evils are almost unknown.

For the reasons herein set forth, and to proteot the interests of all engaged in the grape-growing and wine-produoing industry, it has been considered necessary to organist and register an Association for the purpose of stimulating, protecting, and enoouraging the wine-produoing industry of New Zealand. Therefore, all who desire to help a much harassed industry, which, in time, will utilise a large area of the poorest land and provide legitimate employment for a large number of the population of the Dominion, and who desire that only honest and wholesome wines shall be produced for publio consumption, are earnestly invited to assist in every possible and practical way to further the objeots of The New Zealand Vitioultural Association, C. A. YOUNG, President N.Z.V.A., Belgrave House, Lower Symonds Street, Auckland.