Adulteration of wine, 1825

More Guernsey skulduggery, from the Economist and General Adviser, 1825.

FOREIGN WINES. Wine is too often considered as rather a luxury than a necessary article of consumption, in our climate, and amongst people of our habits; and thus we continue a porter and spirit-drinking community. The introduction of wine generally would tend much to improve our commercial prosperity, our general health, and our national habits. The use of wines in long and cold winters, greatly promotes health, cheerfulness, and social enjoyment; and if, as is generally expected, the ministers should reduce the duty, we may fairly calculate upon a great increase of consumption. The present high duty not only keeps down consumption, but offers great inducement to the unprincipled winedealers to manufacture a spurious and too often an unwholesome substitute. It has been estimated, that one-half the port wine, and five-sixths of the white wines consumed in London, are the produce of the home-presses, and are mixtures of cape wines, British brandy, molasses, and what are called sweets. These frauds are committed wholesale in the island of Guernsey, the exportation from Guernsey to London exceeding the total importation into the island nearly twenty to one; that is, for, every pipe of wine they import, they export twenty!!


See Recent establishment of manufactures, 1828; Guernsey enterprises, 1830, concerning distilleries.