WINE-MAKING IN AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8222, 5 April 1890, Page 1 (Supplement)

WINE-MAKING IN AUCKLAND.

When the history of wine manufacture in north New Zealand comes to be written— should the industry ever become an established industry of dimensions to be regarded as national in character—few enterprises will show a greater variety of ups and downs, hopes and fears, encouragements and disappointments. From the time that Mr. William Busby introduced the vine in the Bay of Islands district to the present, the prospect of north New Zealand becoming a grape-growing and wine-making district has never been lost sight of. Many have made trials at the industry, but few or none have had the necessary knowledge combined with practical experience and the requisite capital to carry the industry over the first difficulties to be encountered. Grapes can everywhere be grown, but few have had practical experience in growing them in the Southern countries of Europe, and fewer still have had the necessary knowledge of the various processes of fermentation and cellar management, which go so far in Southern Europe to establish the character of the wines produced there. At different times, however, fairly good wine has been produced in Auckland, but seldom have the branches of growing the grapes and making the wine been carried on by the same person. Perhaps the most successful wine-maker in Auckland is Mr. J. Wendell, of Symondsstreet. Mr. Wendell is a native of the Moselle district in France, and has been in Auckland upwards of 16 years. He began by purchasing grapes from growers, and planting some vines in an allotment in Grey-street, in 1874, and the wine made that year was analysed by Mr. Tunny, then Provincial Analyst, in 1875, and reported on very favourably. For a few years Mr. Wendell grew some of the grapes he used, but for a number of years past he has resided in Symonds-street, where all the wine he has made has been from grapes purchased from several growers in different parts of the Auckland province. The other day we had tho privilege of inspecting his establishment, and learning some particulars of his business. Wo ascertained that he has established a regular trade, and that in all parts of the colony lie finds customers for his wines. He has been a successful competitor at all the recent exhibitions on this side of the equator, and takes pride in producing a wine of even, uniform quality. Ho produces, as a rule, two classes, a light and a darkcoloured wine. Occasionally some sparkling wine is manufactured, but hitherto the sale for this has nob been very large. He informs us that a very large number of churches obtain from him the wine used for sacramental purposes. Daring the present season ho has purchased over 12 tons of grapes in varying quantities, and the price generally paid has been 2d per lb, but he has no knowledge of the yield of grapes per acre. The sums paid to the different growers have varied greatly from a few shillings to £25 in one case. The grapes have been sent to him from many places— Raglan and Tauranga in the south to Hokianga in the north. From these grapes he has prepared 38 casks of wine, each of a capacity of from 30 to 36 gallons. He has in his cellar over 100 casks of 36 gallons each, of wine maturing, some three years old, some two years, and some last year's production. The trade is not large, but it is as much as Mr. Wendell can manage alone, save some assistance he obtains from his family. On several occasions he has tried to obtain help during the busy vintage season, but the temptation to immoderately partake of the stores in the cellar without permission has apparently been greater than the hired workers could resist, so hired labour is dispensed with. The space in the cellar is economically arranged between tho storage of casks, and shelving for bottled wine. The whole floor is covered with concrete, and town water laid on through the whole of it, so that ib in kept scrupulously clean. Besides a set-in-boiler for heating water for cleaning purposes, there is a corking machine, a machine locally made for crushing the grapes, a screw press for expressing the juice, and three large fermenting vats, one of 350 gallons capacity. Outside on a small piece of ground devoted to cultural purpose, were to be seen nearly 40 blocks of squeezed skins and pips as they came from the screw press, which had not then been carted away. Each of these blocks, we were informed, represented the refuse of fully three hundredweight of grapes. The work of the season is practically over, but the delicate cellar work will now require his utmost attention. Before tho wine becomes thoroughly clear and fib for market, he has frequently to rack a cask seven or more times. The bottled wine was quite clear and free from all deposit, and every six months the casks containing the maturing wine have to be filled up, for evaporation of the watery particles in the wine steadily goes on through the pores of the wood.