i/7f ridge of hills, which comes from Meuifen-mountain, and juft where it llrikes off towards Hout-bay. One of thefe farms is called Little Conftantia. Here the white Conftanu tia wine is made. The other produces the red. According to M i D e L a C a il ’s account, not more than fixty Jiggars of red, and ninety of the white Conftantia wine aie made, each figgar being reckoned at'fix hundred French pints, or about one hundred and fifty Swedifh cans; fo that the whole produce amounts to twenty-two thoufand five hundred cans. As the company are ufed to keep one third of this for- themfelves, the remainder is always be- fpoke by the Europeans long before it is made. At the Cape this wine is feldom feen at table, partly becaufe it is dear, and partly becaufe it is the produce of the country. The red Conftantia wine fells for about fixty rixdollars the half awin; but the white is ufually to be purchafed at a more reafonable rate : otherwiie the price of the common white wine at the Cape is from ten to feventy rixdollars the figgar., according to the year’s growth and the demand that is for it. They make befides, in the environs o f the Cape, Burgundy, Madeira, Mofelle, Mufcadel wines, fo called from fome analogy they bear to the European wines of the fame name, as well as from the refpedlive places in Europe whence the vine-ftocks were firft brought. Thefe wines are at a proportionably higher price than the ordinary white. As the Cape wines, in confequence of the great demand from the ihips, have all a quick fide, they are feldom to be found of any age; otherwife by longer keeping, together with better care, and a lefs liberal ufe of fulphur, they would doubtlefs be equally good with the beft Eurdpean wines. wines. The genuine Conftantia wine is undeniably a very '*»*■ racy and delicate defert wine, and has fomething pecu- liarly agreeable in the flavour of it. That its fuperiority is not owing to any thing peculiar in the manner of preparing it, I am fully convinced; for then, without doubt, a great deal :more of it would be made. But the fadl is, that the genuine wine can only be produced by certain particular foils. The diftriils that lie next to thefe yield merely the common Cape wine, notwithstanding that they have been planted with vine-ftocks taken from this, as well as with fome brought from the banks of the Rhine, whence it is fuppofed that the true Conftantia fort originally comes ; nay, even though all the vineyards about Conftantia feem to have the fame foil. We'have inftances at the Cape, as well as in Europe, that good grapes fome- times produce a bad wine ; while, on thé other hand, bad grapes will yield a good fort of wine : therefore, towards making wine o f a certain quality, befides finer -materials, there muft be certain conditions and circumftances, which, by a diligent and rational inveftigation, might probably be explored to the great benefit of mankind. Such as are apprized in what quantities Conftantia wine is confumed in Europe, have perhaps already remarked, that my calculation of the produce of the above-mentioned wine is too limited. This, however, is by no means the cafe; the overplus being the produce o f avarice, which, goaded on by the defire of gain, will always hit upon fome method of fatisfying the demands of luxury and fenfuality. The votaries of thefe, accuftomed to be put off with empty founds, do not feldom drink with the Vol . I. . ' G higheft
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