1880 Facts about Port and Madeira by Henry Vizetelly

106 H The Company commenced operations by arbitrarily dividing the viticultural region ofthe Alto Douro intotwo distinct circum scriptions,from one of which wine for export was exclusively to be derived,while from the other wine for home consumption was obtainable. Every year its officials decided onthe exact quantity ■of wine that might be exported, had the wines classified by then- tasters, put prices upon them which the growers were obliged to accept, and issued permits for all wine selected for ex portation, lacking which not a single pipe could leave the grower's stores. In course of time, however, these permits were openly sold in the market at the rate of ^£3 per pipe or thereabouts, and by securing them merchants were enabled to ship whatever wine they pleased. No sooner was a vintage over than the Company's tasters flocked up the Douro ina shoal, drew • samples from every one of the growers' large vats, andmarked and classified them. They congregated in a large room, where many of them began to smoke, and under such conditions the samples were submitted to their judgment. Numbers of these •officials had no knowledge whatever of wine, and certainly not of wine a few weeks old; still their decision was irrevocable. Never theless, for a bribe of half-a-doUar it was frequently possible to substitute wine of any quality for one of the official samples. To check adulteration the Company secured the passing of a law making it a felony—punishable with transportation for life and confiscationof all property—on the part of any one having a single elder-tree growing on his premises within five miles of the boundary-lines of the districts it had caused to be marked ■out. This monstrous state of things endured until the year 1833, when the Company was abolished, to be re-established, however, ten years subsequently with the same powers regarding the classification of the wines, but with the arbitrary viticultural circumscriptions done away with. This second Company was finally dissolved in 1853, since which time the trade inPort wine has been perfectly unfettered. WhileIwas at EegoaIvisited several notable quintasinBaixo Oorgo, whence came the original Port wine that our forefathers In the Port Wine Country.