The present Government proposals with regard to the substantial Duty concessions on Empire wines will, if carried into effect, be welcomed by all concerned in the wine trade and should lead to a great increase in the trade done in this direction.
The wines of Australia are full bodied, generous wines, chiefly of the heavier European types, and are produced principally in Victoria, near Adelaide, in South Australia, and on the River Hunter, in the province of New South Wales. The climate and soil in these districts are admirably suited to the growth of vines and the production of vast quantities of grapes, but it would appear doubtful whether her wines can be considered comparable to the finest products of France, owing to the richness of the soil and the strength of the sun, which produces an excess of sugar in the grape. The most famous of the Cape wines are produced at Constantia, in the neighbourhood of Cape Town. The next best wines of South Arica are those produced near Stellenbosch, Somerset West, Cale-don, etc. The vines cultivated in South Africa were originally the same as those in use on the Rhine, at Jerez, at the Hermitage, and in the Medoc, but the differences of soil and climate are such as to produce virtually different
From the Book “Harry” of Ciro’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails by Harry MacElhone, London, 1921.
