1880 Facts about Port and Madeira by Henry Vizetelly

158

The Vineyards and Wines of Madeira.

grape-skins after these have been well trodden hy several pairs of brawny feet. Before, however,the treaders mount into the lagar the grapes' own weight produces a steady flow of juice into the adjoining vat—a rivulet which becomes a torrent when the treading commences. The men dispersed over the lagar commence with a slow, steady movement,then spread out their arms and grasp the huge intervening beam,rapidly advancing and retiring onefrom the other,occasionally turning rapidly haK- way round,now to the right and now to the left, their frantic movements presently subsiding into a slow monotonous kind of jig. We were unable to witness the conclusion of the operation, and set off on our return to Bunchal,encountering on our way a shark,some three boats' length from us, swimming leisurely outto sea. The boatmen said there wasno danger, nevertheless we watched the increasing distance between us and the animal's capacious jaws with a certain degree of satisfaction. Eeaching Funchal, we rode up a steep paved road,which in parts was merely so many flights of stone steps,to the Quinta do Monte, the beautiful country seat of Mr. Leland Cossart, situated a few miles up the mountain and some couple of thousand feet above the sea. At this charming place, with grounds of great extent laid out in admirable taste, and planted with luxuriant foliage, we had the advantage of staying during much of the time we spent at Madeira. A day or two after my excursion to Santa Cruz I had an opportunity of witnessing the vintage at Sao Joao, north-west of Funchal,in a vineyard of about thirteen acres in extent, and very carefully cultivated by its owner,Mr.Leacock,whose house is one ofthe oldest in the Madeira wine trade, dating back as it does to the year 1749. Here the vines,planted on ridges,which form a trench between the different rows, are trained along horizontal wires,supported by slanting posts, meeting together at the top in the form of an inverted V. The vines, too, arc more closely pnined than is usually the case, the prevalent practice being to allow them to run largely to wood. Mr.Lea- cock's vineyard was attacked by phylloxera afew years ago,and