The Culture of the Grape-vine

Suttor, George. The Culture of the Grape-vine, and the Orange, in Australia and New Zealand. 1843. First Edition.

SUTTOR, George (1774-1859)

The Culture of the Grape-Vine, and the Orange, in Australia and New Zealand: comprising historical notices; instructions for planting and cultivation; accounts, from personal observation, of the vineyards of France and the Rhine; and extracts concerning all the most celebrated wines. from the work of M. Jullien.

London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1843. First and only edition. Printed by Stewart and Murray, Old Bailey, London.

Octavo (210x130mm) green blind-stamped original green publisher's cloth with vine motif, title in gilt to spine, edges untrimmed, frontispiece view of Vineyard on the Castle Hill at Fribourg, Baden; viii,184pp.

Edges and boards lightly rubbed; corners gently bruised; spine gilt a little worn; occasional faint foxing, page edges trifle dusty/soiled; binder's ticket to rear paste-down, "Bound by Westleys & Clark, London".

Trained originally as a market gardener, Suttor was the first to produce oranges on a commercial scale in the colony, one of the first suppliers of olive oil and one of the pioneers of wine making in Australia.

A protege of Joseph Banks, botanist, Suttor emigrated to Australia in 1799, charged with delivering vines and other plants selected by Banks for the Colonies.  Suttor had to replace many of the vines at the Cape of Good Hope.  Suttor was a supporter of Bligh during the period of the Rum Rebellion, which probably blunted his ambitions and access to capital.  It certainly led to his imprisonment and appearance at Bligh's trial in London.  He returned to Australia, after Bligh's acquittal, with a  further selection of vines and plants from Banks.   He first planted vines at Parramatta in 1801, somewhat unsuccessfully.  In the 1830s he had more success on his selection at Bathurst.  In 1839-1844 he took an extended tour of European wine regions, first in 1840 recording his observations, interspersed with commentary from leading works on wine, (namely Julien).  He noted soil types, vine height, trellising methods, and other vineyard details as well as commenting rather romantically on the various wine regions.  In 1842 he returned to France  to visit Chateaux Margaux and observe and record the vintage.  These observations form the basis of this text.

Important for its personal observations on the birth of the Australian wine industry particularly in New South Wales as well as contemporary observations on the European wine regions and practices.  Less well known than Busby, but nevertheless an important part in Australia's wine story.

Scarce. An excellent copy.

§  OCLC records only 21 holdings worldwide, 6 in the UK, 10 in Australasia.
§ Ferguson 3731; Gabler G40640; Noling p.397; not in Simon BV;