consumption will reach to something like 20,000,000?. Let us suppose that Australia were only a wine-drinking community, as her climate unceasingly calls for.- It would be fair to assume that her yearly wine bill would be in accordance with the following rule of proportion. If Paris Avith her two and a half millions annually consumes wine to the amount of 20,000,000?., then Australia with her three millions odd' would surely require for her own use at least 25,000,000?. worth year by year. And when it is remem- bere;! in addition that the export trade should be enormously in excess of any local requirements, it will readily be seeu what a magnificent future only awaits its calling into being. We cannot hope that our Australian wines will take a high place amongst those of the world as long as they are not in general use by our own people. There can be no keener reproach than to have it said : " Why, even the Australians themselves do not drink their own wines." And this is regrettedly the fact. It is necessary, therefore, that first of all our people should take a very deep in- terest in all the details connected with vine-growing and wine-making, and thus give some encouragement to those who are doing their best to establish what will ultimately become Australia's brightest glory. And it will be a good thing for this land when a knowledge of every pomt in the growing of the grape, and every step m the making of the wine, becomes part and parcel of our daily Hfe. The very hoardings of our streets are covered with advertisements of countless brands of whisky, and of numberless varieties of ale. But those setting forth the virtues of our wines are conspicuous by their absence. It would seem that Australia, where our own wine should be the national beverage, is almost the last country in which to find it. It may be asked, What are the reasons which lead to this disregard of the virtues possessed by our own wines ? 238 THE ART OF LIVING IN AUSTRALIA. The reply to this question is not an easy matter, but I shall endeavour to answer it to the best of my ability. The pro- bability is, if a dozen jjeople were asked, at random, why Australian wine is so little used in Australia, that at least that number of different explanations would be forthcoming. The truth, however, is more likely to be found in a combina- tion of reasons, rather than from any one single cause. These are obviously worth considering, from the very fact that the knowing of what they consist is of the first importance in rectifying them. I shall begin, then, by saying that the label on the bottle has much to answer for, in that it is misleading. It does not give any idea of what is to be found inside. Thus the word Riesling, on one bottle, may be attached to a wine groAvn on the Hunter, in New South Wales, and on another to a wine from the Yarra, in Victoria. It is true that the Avine from these two places may be grown from the same "cepage." But while the river Yarra wine will contain perhaps li per cent, of alcohol, that from the Hunter River will have quite 20 per cent. — so much does an increase in the warmth of the climate increase the alcoholic strength of the wine.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

consumption will reach to something like 20,000,000l. Let us suppose that Australia were only a wine-drinking community, as her climate unceasingly calls for.- It would be fair to assume that her yearly wine bill would be in accordance with the following rule of proportion. If Paris with her two and a half millions annually consumes wine to the amount of 20,000,000l., then Australia with her three millions odd' would surely require for her own use at least 25,000,000l. worth year by year. And when it is remembered in addition that the export trade should be enormously in excess of any local requirements, it will readily be seen what a magnificent future only awaits its calling into being. We cannot hope that our Australian wines will take a high place amongst those of the world as long as they are not in general use by our own people. There can be no keener reproach than to have it said : " Why, even the Australians themselves do not drink their own wines." And this is regrettably the fact. It is necessary, therefore, that first of all our people should take a very deep interest in all the details connected with vine-growing and wine-making, and thus give some encouragement to those who are doing their best to establish what will ultimately become Australia's brightest glory. And it will be a good thing for this land when a knowledge of every pomt in the growing of the grape, and every step in the making of the wine, becomes part and parcel of our daily life. The very hoardings of our streets are covered with advertisements of countless brands of whisky, and of numberless varieties of ale. But those setting forth the virtues of our wines are conspicuous by their absence. It would seem that Australia, where our own wine should be the national beverage, is almost the last country in which to find it. It may be asked, What are the reasons which lead to this disregard of the virtues possessed by our own wines ? The reply to this question is not an easy matter, but I shall endeavour to answer it to the best of my ability. The probability is, if a dozen people were asked, at random, why Australian wine is so little used in Australia, that at least that number of different explanations would be forthcoming. The truth, however, is more likely to be found in a combination of reasons, rather than from any one single cause. These are obviously worth considering, from the very fact that the knowing of what they consist is of the first importance in rectifying them. I shall begin, then, by saying that the label on the bottle has much to answer for, in that it is misleading. It does not give any idea of what is to be found inside. Thus the word Riesling, on one bottle, may be attached to a wine grown on the Hunter, in New South Wales, and on another to a wine from the Yarra, in Victoria. It is true that the wine from these two places may be grown from the same "cepage." But while the river Yarra wine will contain perhaps li per cent, of alcohol, that from the Hunter River will have quite 20 per cent. — so much does an increase in the warmth of the climate increase the alcoholic strength of the wine.

The art of living in Australia