By act of Congress wine is defined as follows:

That natural wine within the meaning of this Act shall be deemed to be the product made from the normal alcoholic fermentation of the juice of sound, ripe grapes, without addition or abstraction, except such as may occur in the usual cellar treatment of clarifying and ageing.1

Had our lawmakers stopped here they would have deserved the plaudits of their countrymen. But immediately following this ethical definition comes the pernicious proviso:

Provided, however, That the product made from the juice of sound, ripe grapes by complete fermentation of the must under proper cellar treatment and corrected by the addition (under the supervision of a gauger of storekeeper-gauger in the capacity of gauger) of a solution of water and pure cane, beet, or dextrose sugar (containing, respectively, not less than ninety-five per centum of actual sugar, calculated on a dry basis) to the must or to the wine, to correct natural deficiencies, when such addition shall not increase the volume of the resultant product more than thirty-five per centum, and the resultant product does not contain less than five parts per thousand of acid before fermentation and not more than thirteen per centum of alcohol after complete fermentation, shall be deemed to be wine within the meaning of this Act, and may be labeled, transported, and sold as "wine," qualified by the name of the locality where produced, and may be further qualified by the name of its own particular type or variety: And provided further, That wine as defined in this section may be sweetened with cane sugar or beet sugar or pure condensed grape must and fortified under the provisions of this Act and wines so sweetened or fortified shall be considered sweet wine within the meaning of this Act.

1 Revenue Bill Approved September 8, 1916.

These provisos open the flood gates for legalized adulteration. There is little left for the professional adulterator to desire. The whole purpose and aim of the pure food law in so far as purity of wine is concerned is set aside and denied. Almost everything needed for adulteration is specifically provided for by this Act. To be sure only 35 percent adulteration is permitted! But who shall supervise and restrict the mad scramble to make adulterated wines?

Fortunately an act of Congress does not make wrong right. It protects the offender but does not change the offense. All the products made under this indulgence are and will remain types of adulteration.