Show Blockade Block de Aids 1 Coast Olive Wine Industry By S. S BURTON HEATH o 0 California is pretty happy about the impetus which her olive In Industry industry industry in- in has received from the cutting cutting cut cut- ting off of imports from Italy and Spain Not only is olive oil from that state getting onto the market I but it is Is' Is Isa a better product Further Further Further Fur Fur- ther improvements this year are expected to enable the domestic oil oU fo io hold at least part of its new newmarket newmarket newmarket market after the warl war var l Previously California made only from three to five hundred thousand pounds of olive oil a year year and and for it used the poorer fruit unsuitable for packing We got most of our oil from Italy and some ome from Spain When these were cut off and prices went up choice California olives were diverted to the oil aU presses and andI I the quality was improved Last year eaP the coast state turned out more than a million pounds and andIn In 1941 she is expected to exceed that Undersells Foreign Oil The California product sells About 10 per cent under imported oil It still has a fruity flavor considered undesirable But this is from lack of adequate aging because the business expanded so rapidly The oil needs four or orp p five months' months aging in open casks before sealing When reserves permit this the taste is expected to be Improved It never will duplicate south European flavor exactly but the American palate might find it none the less good once it has become accustomed to the differ differ- I ence erice Incidentally diversion of choice olives to the presses is expected to raise the cost of the bottled delicacy Another California industry which has benefited greatly from war var trade restrictions together restrictions together with an actively intelligent promotion promotion pro pro- I motion policy policy policy-is is For the second successive year a anew anew new time newall-time time all record was set in 1940 The Golden states state's vin vines s produced produced produced pro pro- last year only a million gallons gallons gal gal- lons Ions less than the nations nation's entire consumption the year before Its gallons are estimated as 85 per cent of the wine used in the United States In December Decem Decem- ber the ber-the the month in which fine imported imported imported im im- im- im ported wines ordinarily have their greatest sales because of the holidays holidays holidays holi holi- days when everybody wants to whet his palate with champagne and sparkling burgundy sales burgundy sales of 01 California vintages were up per cent over 1939 Co Costly Wines Increase The situation was emphasized by the part which the more costly sparkling wines played in the in increase in- in crease they crease they were up percent per percent percent cent as compared with a percent per percent percent cent rise in dessert and appetizer wines and only in table brands There still are reserves reserves reserves' of in the market but stocks are depleted depicted and prices are arc up There is little uniformity in price which seems to depend largely upon the holdings of in individual individual individual in- in dealers In the smaller 1 cities where demand did not warrant warrant warrant war war- rant substantial reserves the supplies supplies supplies sup sup- plies are very low As with olives California counts upon the AmerIcan American American Amer Amer- ican public discovering that while our wines do not duplicate those of Europe they are very fine and worthy of holding their prestige even after trade lanes are reopened reopened reopened re re- re- re opened some day |