Colonial News.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 353, 19 March 1856, Page 5

Colonial News.

Australian Winks. —We have yet .to say a word or two mi tlie subject of Colonial Wines, and, though lust in our noiice, not yielding in importance to any with which we areaequainted, save wool and "-old. Subject to the very trying ordeal of comparison jvith the vinous productions of old ■wine-growing countries, they have notwithstanding come out. of it in a manner m»st gratifying to our colonial cultivators. The respective merits of the samples were indicated by " liie Expi'its,1' according to numbers, ransying from 1 to 20. With all the supposed advantages of. locality, and with all the appliances of art, experience, and wealth, that his high station could command, the Arch-Duke Charles of Austria produces fioiu the best of his vineyards a wine of excellent quality which gains only tiie number 14 ; and we find tiuit the finest old Tokays were classed from 13 upwards, and one even was marked at 20— from 30 to. 50 years old—and of* a value that no money would purchase. Have we any equal in the scale of'comparative quality to the best wine of the Arch Duke, or to the lowest of the Tokays? It would seem, from the _ compendium ' which we publish in our Friday's issue, that we may boast oi such an equuluv.

For whilst to the Irrawang of 1853, U> Codi.son's white wine, and to the Messrs. Maoarxhuks White lteislin of 1851, No. 10 wa.-^signed, an additional number to the hitter of 1549, 12 to Aucarot of 1848. and 11 and 12 to Muscats, ami even 18 to Red Toinago ; —we have the gratifying assurance that the Keisling of 1849, after having nade a voyage round the world in wood, was found worthy oi 14, and the Muscats —also Camden wine*.—of 15, having gone through the same process, and in wood aiso. So tliat we have the travelled Reisling uuinbering as high as the best result of the Archduke's choicest vineyards the Muscats superior to the lowest order of ilu j lim-si old Tokay, and the lied Toiuiigo within two of the must valued wines in the world. We have said gratifying, because ihat fact at once removes the objection which the uuaihniring connoisseurs of purs colonial wines invariably oppose to the no*sibiiity of exporting them to Europe without

deterioration. Few new wines will suffer exportation—none of the Hungarian white wines, except Aushrnch, will bear carriage. Even the sweet wines of Tokay—not much inferior to '' the Tokay"—almost invariably turn acid if transported before they are three years old. We cannot, then, but compliment our wine producers on the result of the ordeal to which their first fruits in the creat competition have been submitted. Our colonial wines have surprised and pleased the critical palates of the fine&t judges of vintages in Europe, who have assigned to them, as regards both strength and flavour, an intermediate rank between Madeira and the choice productions of the Cotes dv Rhone. Our wines now sparkle at the ln>spiu'.»ie table of our Queks, and before the guests of the Emperors of France and Austria. And they will, era long, find their way into the mansions of the wealthy of Europe ; whilst in the colony, where the grape that produced them is grown, they are spoken of univ to be contemned — Sydney Empire.