WINE-GROWING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13738, 29 August 1908, Page 8

WINE-GROWING.

\K\V ZKA LAND'S J>OSSIIULJTIKS. j TOO MUCH RAINMr V M. Sednwick, « «<'ll-kn«)w» South Afru-an wino maker, docs not think much <.f N«mv /calami n.s a uinm;.knm country. In 'on '» 1(>1U1 '" at Au'-klaud he said :—: — i ••I ha\e had tin- (.[.portuintN ot t:Mmj , •! .-ood ma..v Xcv- Zcnhnul y me. ■Mid the hulk of those I luuo ta.tct hiMc !.mu jnyilnn^ but sound am p:ua- 1 tabU-. Manv'of them weir stum-lN <ortitiecl. and n,o,t of thorn *y<\ Tho unh cirv \\ine 1 have tasted up till last Saturday was iho Te Mate- \miio. Thnt uhich '? tasted at NfP'7 «t t he end of last April was 'craokcxl both b> Mnell and ta-i.>. Last Saturday, hov,evcr. I luul the opportunity of tasting two samples of the wines produced at tho Waeronna experimental farm. 1 1>«> were both young wines: that is. not over three years old. The white wme 1 found very "fair indeed. It had a good aioma and was perfectly sound .-nd dry. The red wine- -a claret— had lictle oi no bouquet. It was poor m colour a thm wine, and to my mind had a slight •crack.' ] would not pronounce it n perfectly sound wine. Signor L.ragato thinks more of it. than the whne wine, however, which shows how nun may differ. £ '"'No country will produce a <iofi< wine where there is a heavy rainfall dnrmu the vintage season. At least a mouth betore tlie grapes arc cut the\ shouk biMo comparativol^ line v eat her. It they do not they will never come to perfection. Tn.'. '\\\\\ nc\e- get j^rout).'. ripe. They v. ill hv too low m :Avo\h,\ In South Africa the trouble i-. to Ke .p the sugar down. I rcajlly would not m-e to express a delinito opinion about N .". Zealand's win^-grow ing pos.sibilities u-i-1 Ic^s 1 wore hero more than one mmmhi A little rain does not do the >^r\pes any harm, but if you have too much it spoils them for wine. So lax n-. 1 < -in judue the drawback to making _ good w.nc m ibis eountr> is a too liberal rainfall, especially in^ the months o\ KebruniN and March."