HISTORY ETHNOGRAPHY NATURE WINE-MAKING SITE MAP
Selected and rare materials, excerpts and observations from ancient, medieval and contemporary authors, travelers and researchers about Cyprus.
 
 
 
 
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SIR SAMUEL WHITE BAKER
CYPRUS AS I SAW IT IN 1879
page 304

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hours fast wearing away. The next clay is probably ia Greek holiday, and all the merchants' stores are shut (there is a Greek holiday at least once a week, —generally twice). The unfortunate vine-grower, after waiting patiently in despair, discovers that he must wait still longer. A t length, after vexations and delays, he draws a sample of wine into a gourd-shell from his skins, and hands it to the merchant ; who, having made a wry face and spat it out, advises him to I throw his wine into the sea, as it is undrinkable, " having remained too long in the goat-skins exposed to the sun. A most respectable informant related to me the total loss of a large quantity of first-class wine from the delay thus occasioned at Limasol. . . . The refuse, after pressing the grapes, is calculated to yield upon distillation a proportion of 100 okes of spirit for every ten loads (1280 okes) of wine. This pays a tax of eight paras the oke, which, added to the 10 per cent, upon the wine, makes a total of 15 per cent, upon \vine and spirit included. The vine-grower, irrespective of the size of his vineyard, is allowed 200 okes duty free for his own consumption ; and when his jars are measured to determine the contents for taxation an allowance is deducted for the muddy deposit at the bottom. It will at once be seen by this enumeration of the delays and vexations occasioned by this arbitrary system, that it is barely possible for the vine-grower to calculate the actual cost of his wine, as the loss of time, expense of journeys, and uncertainty of the amount of delays are entirely beyond his control. It is therefore extremely difficult to discover the exact financial position of the cultivator, but from the data . in my possession it is nearly as follows :—

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