il i
S u b s e c t . 2. G rap e V ine. — Y lt is v in ife ra L . (./«r. /(?. i. t. 5 0 .) ; Penldn. M ojuhj. X i.
ami Y'des J . V /yne, Fr.; W cintrauhen, Gcr.; W ijn g a a rd , Dutch ; V ig n a , Ital.; and
V in a , Span.
4 7 0 7 . The grape vine is a trailing, deciduous, hardy shrub, producing flowers in the
form of a raccmc, of a gvccnish-white colour, and fragrant odour, appearing in the open
air in_ this countiy in June; and the fruit, which is of tho beny kind, attains such
maturity as the season and situation admit, by the middle or end of September. The
beny or grape is generally globular, but often ovate, oval, oblong, or finger-shaped ; the
coloura green, white, red, yelloiv, amber, and black, or a variegation of two or more of
these colours. The skin is smooth, the pulp and juice of a dulcet, poignant, elevated,
generous flavour. Every beny ouglit to enclose five small heart or pear-shaped stones;
though, as some generally fail, they have seldom more than three ; and some varieties,
when they attain a certain age, as the Ascalon or sultana raisin, none. Tho weight of
a bcny dc])cnds not only on its size, but ou the thickness of its skin, and texture of the
flesh, the lightest being the thin-skinned and juicy sorts, as the sweetwater or muscadine
; and what are considered large berries of these varieties will weigh fi-um
5 dwts. to 7 dwts., and measure from 1 in. to an 1^ in. in girth. A good-sized bunch
of the same sorts may weigh from 2 lbs. to 6 lbs.; but bunches have been grown of
the Syrian grape, in Syria, weighing 4 0 lbs.; and in England, weighing from 10 lbs.
to 19 lbs. A single vine in a large pot, or grown as a dwarf standard in the manner
[iractised in the vineyards in the north of France, ordinarily produces from three
to nine bunches; but by superior management in gardens in England, the number of
bunches is prodigiously increased; vines in pots have ripened 20 bunches each plant
the first year, and one plant, of the red Hamburgh sort, in the free soil of the vineiy of
the royal gardens at Hampton Court, has produced 2200 bunches, averaging one pound
each, or in all nearly a ton. Tliat at Valentines, in Essex, has produced 2 0 0 0 bunches
of nearly tlic same average weight.
4708. The age to which the v in e w ill a tta in hi warm climates is so great as not to be known. It is supposed
to equal or even to surpass th at of the oak. Pliny speaks of a vine which had existed 600 years :
and Bosc says, there are vines in Burgundy upwards of 400 years old. In Italy there are vinevards which
have been m a flourishing state for upwards of 300 years ; and Miller tells us, that a vineyard 100 years
old IS reckoned young. T h e extent of the branches of the vine, in certain situations and circumstances,
•s commensurate with its produce and age. In the hedges of Italy, and the woods of America, they a
............... . ’ ighest ehn and poplar trees ;found overtopping th e highest tn aanndd iinn KEnnggll;a nd’ , one p.lant . trai.ned .against a row
of houses in Northallerton (lately dead), covered a space, in 1585;'of 137 squaVe yards ; it was'then above
100 years old. That a t Hampton Court, nearly of the same age, occupies above 116 square yards ; and
th at a t Valentines in Essex, above 147 square yards. The size to which the trunk or stem sometimes
attains in foreign countries, is so great as to have afforded planks 16 in. broad, furniture, and statues ;
and even in this country, the stem of the Northallerton vine above mentioned, in 178.6, measured 4 ft.
in circumference near the g ro u n d ; and one branch of the Hampton Court vine measures 114 ft. in
length. Vine timber is of great durability. It may be remarked, th a t vines regularly pruned and
dressed can rarely attain similar magnitudes, nor is it desirable th at they should.
4709. The n a tiv e c o iu ttr y o f the v ine , like th a t of most of our acclimatised fruits, is generally considered
to b e P e r s ia ; and Dr. Sickler {Geschichte d e r Obst Cult., v o l.i.) has given a learned and curious account
qf its migration to Egypt, Greece, and Sicily. From Sicily it is supposed to have found its way to Italy,
Spam, and I r a n c c ; and in the last country it is believed to have been cultivated in the time of the
Antonines, iii the second century. Some species have been found wild in America, and the cultivated
sqri IS iiow considered as a native, or naturalised in the temperate climates of both hemispheres. In the
old world, Its culture forms a branch of rural economy from th e 21st to the 51st degree of north latitude,
or Irqm bchiraz m Persia to Coblentz ou the Bhine. Some vineyards are to be found even near
Dresden, and m Moravia; and, by means of garden-culture, it is made to produce fruit for the table still
farther n o rth ; being grown to a considerable degree of perfection in the hothouses of St. Petersburgh
and Stockholm. °
4710. T k e intro d u c tio n c f the v in e to B r ita in is supposed by some to have taken place under th e first
Roman governors, though, from Tacitus, it appears to have been wanting in Agricola’s time. There is
evidence, however, to prove that vineyard.? were planted here in th e year 280, a . d . ; and Bede, writing
in 731, says, there were vineyards growing in several places. Ha rt observes, that the religious fraternities
o fth e dark ages spread out from Italy in all directions, carrying w ith them the knowledge of agriculture
and gardening ; and there is little doubt, Professor Martyn remarks, th a t orchards and vineyards were
common appendages to abbeys and monasteries from their first establishment, a t least in the southern
parts of the island, to the time of th e Reformation. From this period they have disappeared, in part,
perhaps, from the culture of th e vine being little understood by those to whom the Imids of religious
houses were sold or granted ; and m part, because a better article would be introduced from our French
prqymcetyii th e time of the Henries, and continued to be imported when we lost these.
have also been planted in modern times, and wine produced, nearly, if not entirely
equal, to that of 1-rance. In the M u seum R u s tic um , it is stated, that at Arundel Castle in Sussex, the
Duke of Norfolk had a vmeyard, of which there were in his race’s cellar, in 1763, above sixty pipes of
excellent Burgundy. Bradley informs us, that Warner, a gentleman of Rotherhithc, made good wine
from his own vineyards. Switzer mentions several instances, and among others, that of Rocqne, of
Waltham (xreen, who made wine for th irty years from a vineyard he had planted in a common ßeW-garden
Wanbury and Hales confirm these accounts, and cite o th e rs ; and Barry, in his Iiis to r y o f JVines. gives
an account of a very productive vineyard, formed by th e Hon. Charles Hamilton, at P ainshill, in Miller’s
time, which succeeded for many years, and produced excellent champagne. Some of the vines which
fonned this vineyard may still be seen on th e original site, now covered with a grove of Scotch pines.
There can be no hesitation, therefore, in agreeing with these authors, and with Miller, Martyn, and
Speechly, that vineyards would succeed in various parts of England, and produce wine equal to some of
th a t imported from tra n c e . But, in a national point of view, we may conclude, with equal safety, that
the culture ot the yme, as a branch of rural economy, would not be a profitable concern here, on the
broad general principle, th at it cannot be long worth while to grow any thing at home which we can get
cheaper irom abroad. T h e high duties on imported wines may seem to bear against this opinion; but
tliis is merely a temporary ca se ; for, in the progress of international commerce, governments gradually
discover the advantage ol leaving trade comparatively free ; and in proportion as this becomes the case,
each country will feel its advantage in pursuing those branches of industry in which nature or habit has
rendered it pre-eminent. Chaptal in his L 'In d u s tr ie F rançaise, published in 1819, states the quantity of
wine made in France to be 600,000,000 imperial gallons ; ono third of which does not bring th e vinc-
grow'er more than 3^d. per gallon. T h e price rises gradually on the remaining 400,000,000 of gallons, a
part of which may sell for 5 s. per gallon ; but still Chaptal estimates th at 29 thirtieths of all the wine
grown in France docs not bring the grower more than 2s. per gallon, or 4d. per bottle. Such wine,
therefore, if duty free, might be introduced into England, and sold by retail a t 8d. per bottle. The consumption
in such a case would be immense, and th e benefit to both countries very great. Till this
arrives, it may aiford some satisfaction to individuals, in favourable situations, to form vineyards, and
drink their own wine.
4712. Grapes f o r the appear to have heen in demand as early as the beginningof the 16tli c e n tu ry
for Tusser includes “ grapes white and re d ” in his list of fruits, published about the year 1660; but, a:
far as appears from horticultural literature, the vine had only been grown as dwarf standards, or trained
against walls or buildings, till the beginning of th e 18th century. Stoves for preserving curious exotics
had been introduced soon after the middle of the 17th century ; but we find no mention of th e application
of artificial heat to the vine, till 1718, when Lawrence informs us, in his F ru it G a rd en e r, published that
year, “ th at th e Duke of Rutland, a t Belvoir Castle, has done so much justice to the vine as to have fires
constantly burning behind his slope walls, from Lady-day to Michaelmas ; whereby he is rewarded by the
largest grapes, and even the best Frontignans, in Ju ly .” These sloped walls, which were built a t the
instigation of II. Facio, the Duke’s tutor, we are informed, were afterwards covered with glass. Switzer
{P ra c t.F ru it. G a rd ., 2d edit. 1763) appears to be the first author who gives a regular plan of a vinery,
with directions for forcing the grape. lie advises making fires as early as the middle of December, so
as to make the vines push by the middle of January. Since his time, the art of forcing has made such
rapid progress th a t uo kitclien-garden worth notice is now without a v in e ry : the fruit is produced in
some vineries during every month of the y e a r; and in the London markets is to be had in the highest
degree of perfection from March to January. Vines are at the same time still grown on walls unaided
bore in proportion, though the fruit did not ripen quite so early, nor attain an equal degree of flavour
with that on the wall. In propitious seasons these grapes attained a tolerable degree of flavour ; but
even then they were of little value, compared to those grown in vineries and hothouses.
4713. Use. T h e uses o fth e grape in Britain are well known; in the dessert it ranks next the pine, and
is by some preferred to it. The berries, when green or not likely to ripen, may he used in tarts or pies;
and the leaves form an elegant garnish to other table-fruits. V in e isSometimes made in England, by
expressing and fermenting the juice, either alone or with th at of other fmits ; and it has even been made
from decoctions of the leaves of some sorts. In warmer climates, th e grape is not only used in the
dessert, hut eaten with bread, either newly gathered or dried as ra isin s; and, in these countries, from
th e fermented juice a wine or liquor is made, superior to all others for stimulating the stomach and exhilarating
the spirits of m an. T h e medical products o fth e vine are verjuice, formerly used as the juice
of lemons ; tarta r, a gentle cathartic ; vinegar, used as a condiment, for extracting the virtues of other
medicines, and for counteracting th e effects of vegetable poisons. Even wine itself is given as a medicine
in typhus fevers, in nervous disorders, in putrid sore throats, and even in the plague. “ Iu almost ail
cases of languor, and great prostration of strength,” Martyn observes, “ wine is 5 a more mo.
grateful and
efficacious cordial than can be furnished from the whole class of aromatics.”
4714. Varieties. These are exceedingly numerous; partly from the antiquity of the vine, it having,
as Professor Martj-n remarks, been cuitivatcd from the time of N o a h ; partly from the influence of soils
and climates in changing th e qualities of grapes, there being hardly two vineyards in France or Italy
where th e sorts, th o u ^ i originally th e same, remain long precisely afike ; but chiefly, as far as respects
this country a t least, from the facility with which new sorts are procured from seed. 'Tusser, in 1.660,
mentions only “ white and red ” grapes. Parkinson, who was more of a horticulturist, gives, in 1627, a
list of twenty-three sorts, including th e white muscadine, “ very great, sweet, and firm; some of the
bunches have weighed six pounds, and somc of the berries half an ounce.” Ray, in 1688, enumerates
twelve sorts as then most in request. Rea, in 1702, gives most of those in Ray’s list, and adds five more
sorts, recommending the red, white, and the d’Arbois, or royai muscadine, the Frontignans, and the
blood-red, as the fittest sorts for England. T h e best vines, he says, were then on the walls of the physic-
garden a t Oxford.
471.6. Sw itx e r , in 1717, says, “ it is to Lord Capel an d 'S ir William Temple that we are owing th a t
collection of good grapes now so plenty in England. The la tte r,” he says, “ brought over the Chasselas,
parsley-leaved, and Frontignan; and also the Amboyna, Burgundy, black muscat, and grizzly Frontig-
nan ; all highly approved, and distributed amongst the nurserymen, as well as the nobility and gentry.
The best grapes,” he tolls us, “ were grown a t 'Twickenham, Isleworth, and Richmond.” Speechly,
from 1760 to 1790, excelled in the culture of the vine a t Welbeck.
4716. The m o st valuable m o d e rn additions to the varie tie s o f g ra p e s in this country have been procured
by sowing the seeds of sorts ripened in this country. 'That excellent grape, the red Hamburgh, was
raised from seed, about a century ago, by Warner, of Rotherhithe, already mentioned. In France,
during the consulship, in 1801, the celebrated chemist Chaptal, when minister o fth e interior, ordered a
specimen of every known variety of the grape to be collected from the different departments where the
vine is grown, and planted in the nursery of th e Luxembourg garden, with a view to ascertain their
respective merits. Though this assortment was never completed, th e number collected amounted to
upwards of three hundred distinct varieties.
47)7. A classification o fth e n um e ro u s va rie tie s o fth e v in e has not hitherto been made, either in France
or England. Bosc, the inspector of government nurseries in France, was employed to compare and class
those collected at the Luxembourg; but in 1809 he had only succeeded iu describing and figuring fifty
distinct sorts. The groundwork of his classification was, the colour, form, and size of th e fru it; the
surface, margin, texture, colour, aud position of the leaves ; and the redness, greenness, or variegation
of the footstalks. From these eleven characteristics combined, he forms 1.66 classes, in which, he says,
may be placed all th e possible varieties of grapes. Bosc, aware of the great variety of considerations cf
another order, which augment the number of characteristics, such as grapes which are in other respects
ffiike, yet differ in their time of ripening, in the time they will hang without alteration on the plant, in
. , , , . ... » ^ acknowledges, that, after four years’ labour,
the quantity produced 0 a .pl.an.t,. q ualit.y of the p. u. lp. , &c.,. ^ .......................
he could öfter no useful result, in* the catalogue *of the Luxembourg collection,............................: published d by "by ”
Ilervey lii
1802, the arrangement is, 1. vines with black oval fruits, 37 sorts; 2. black round fruits, 98 sorts; 3. white
oval fruits, 44 sorts ; 4. white round fruits, 73 so rts ; 5. grey or violet oval fruits, 5 sorts ; and 6 . grey or
violet round fruits, 10 s o rts : in all, 267 sorts. The most elaborate descriptions of the varieties of the
I'ine which have yet appeared, are contained in a Spanish work. E n sa y o sobre las variedades dc la v id
com ú n , que vegetan cn A n d a lu s ia , &c., by D. Simon Roxas Clemente, librarian to the botanic garden at
Madrid. _ 'This author founds his varieties on the character of the stem, shoots. leaves, flowers, bunches,
toefries. Ho describes 120 varieties, comprising them in two sections, rfoiw// and smooth-leaved.
Each sec t in is arranged in tribes or cus ters of s bvarie ies, bearing one common name, and distin