THE WINE TRADE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3241, 19 November 1881, Page 3

THE WINE TRADE.

A London trade circular, dated the 31st of August, has the following :— A reeldng August has again disappointed the expectations that were entertained of a moderately good harvest, and we have still to look forward to the commencement of that succession of full years which, will restore prosperity to the sorely distressed agricultural interest. While '-•his great industry suffers all others must share in its depi'ession and it is surprising that the trade of the country at large stands so well as it does. The consumption of claret now is not so great as that of sherry was ten years ago, and the consumption of sherry now is less than that of claret was in 1871. The comparison discloses a very remarkable change of taste in the short space of ten years. Port has suffered, but in nothing like the same degree as sherry, and it now displays a tendency to recover, while the consumption of sherry still falls off. In 1871 the consumption of the latter wine was 50 per cent, more than port, but at present it is only 25 per cent, greater. The wines imported from France are " not necessarily French, wines" as the Commissioners of Customs remark in their recently issued report. France imports enormous quantities of wines from Spain, Italy, and elsewhere, which after having undergone a process which, the Moniteur Vinicole describes as a " retouche," pass into consumption at home or pass again out of France to the stranger as her indigenous products. It seems rather a roivndabout method and an expensive one for the stranger to adopt, and he had better import his Spanish reds or Italian wines direct and touch them up himself.