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'Pavidius Veterensis, a neighbor of my uncle, had a vineyard and two daughters. Upon the marriage of one of them, he gave with her as her dowry one-third of his vineyard; and then doubled his diligence, and cultivated the remainder so well that it yielded him as much as the whole had done before upon the marriage of the other daughter, he gave with her one other third of his vineyard; and now having but onethird of the whole left, he so manured and cultivated it, that it yielded him full as much as the whole had done at first.'

This ingenious author accuses his countrymen of having begun this work with seeming resolution, and of having carried it on for some time with assiduity, but before they had brought it to perfection they abandoned it, and for the want of stability and a little longer perseverance, lost their money, their labor and their prospects. At the same time he proves to a demonstration, from exact and minute calculations, the great advantages of vineyards, notwithstanding the great expense the Romans were at in buildings, inclosures, workmen and magnificent works, and brings his own vineyards, which were well known, as proofs of all he had said.

Gentlemen who prune their own vines should observe, that the fruit is always produced upon the shoots of the same year, which are thrown out of the buds of the last year's shoots; and that it is not the old wood that yields grapes. It is best to prune vines as soon as the fruit is gathered, as the bearing shoots for the following year cannot be mistaken; and it is recommended to shorten them, so as to leave but four eyes, as by leaving too many the vine is exhausted, and yields but poor, small fruit. The shoots just above the fourth eye are to be cut, and the cutting to be sloped or cut in such a manner that the water discharging from the shoot may not run on the bud to injure it. From the beginning to the middle of May, all vines should be looked over, and the shoots from the old wood should be rubbed off; and if one eye produce two shoots, the weakest must be removed. Vines require frequent examining, after this time, to rub off all dangling shoots; and about the latter end of June or the first of July, the ends of the bearing branches are to be nipped off, but those intended for the next year's fruit, may grow a month longer before they are topped.

*

*For particular remarks on the culture and propagation of the vine, see Prince's Treatise.

The juice of the grape, when subjected to chemical analysis, is found to consist of the following principal ingredients, namely: a considerable portion of water and sugar, extractive matter analogous to mucilage, some tannin, vegetable gelatine, acidulated tartrate of potash, tartrate of lime, phosphate of magnesia, muriate of soda, sulphate of potash, and a particular liquid substance, generally regarded as an elementary constituent on which the fermentative process depends. These, however, are not always found to exist in the same vine; and they vary considerably in different ones. But some of them, such as tartarous acid, sugar, extractive matter, and the liquid substance already referred to, are essentially necessary to fermentation and it is by possessing these ingredients in proper proportions, that the grape is peculiarly fitted for making wine.

When the grapes are ripe, and the saccharine principle is developed, they are then pressed, and the juice thus obtained, or must, as it is called, is received into proper vessels, in which the fermentative process is meant to take place. When the must is exposed to a temperature of 65° F. it speedily begins to ferment: small bubbles first collect on the top, and may be seen gradually issuing from the central parts of the liquor, and bringing up the husks, stones, and other grosser matters which it contains. As the disengagement of gas proceeds, a hissing noise is produced by the bursting of the bubbles; and a frothy crust or scum is formed by the viscid particles which they have carried to the surface. An increase of the temperature and bulk of the fermenting mass now takes place the must loses its original consistency, and its saccharine taste, acquiring a deeper color and a vinous flavor, with an odor of spirit of wine, which becomes more perceptible as the process advances. At length these commotions of the fluid abate spontaneously; and, after a few hours' rapid fermentation, the ebullition ceases altogether, the mass subsides to its former bulk, and the crust and solid particles which disturbed the transparency of the liquor, are precipitated to the bottom of the vessel.

In order to insure a regular and complete fermentation, it is necessary that the grapes should be all equally trodden, and that the vat which is to contain them, should be filled as speedily as possible, within twenty-four hours at farthest.

Fermentation proceeds with incredible rapidity, insomuch that the juice, as it flows from the grape, will often work and ferment before it arrives at the vat; owing to the pressure and

motion to which, when being carried from the vineyard, it has been subjected. The most favorable temperature, as already stated, is 65° F. Below that degree fermentation is languid; above, it is violent; and when very high or very low, it ceases altogether. When the process has commenced, however, the temperature quickly rises, even so high as 30° above the point in question. Another circumstance necessary to fermentation is contact with the external air: without this, indeed, no fermentation can take place; but after the process has been established, such contact is not necessary. Finally, fermentation is brisk in proportion to the extent of the fermenting mass. In a cask it proceeds more slowly than in a vat: in short, the preference is to be given to large vessels. It may here be mentioned that when, from the deficiency or inactivity of the ingredients necessary to fermentation, that process does not go on successfully, means must be used to supply the defect. If, for example, the must is too thin and watery, and fermentation proceeds with difficulty, the objection. may be removed by boiling the must and allowing the superabundant water to evaporate; by merely throwing in a portion of must which has been thus thickened; or by adding a quantity of sugar, as is the common practice in cold climates where the grapes seldom reach their full maturity. In some places baked gypsum is used, in order to absorb the excess of humidity; in others, the grapes are partially dried before trodden. The addition of tartar accelerates fermentation, particularly if the grapes abound in the saccharine principle. The stalks of the grapes when added to the mash, act as a powerful leaven, and augment the strength of the wine; but to the weaker sort, they are apt to communicate a harsh and austere flavor, owing to the tannin and extractive matter which they contain. In case of Port, they are always used; while in the manufacture of the more delicate red wines of Bordeaux, they are generally excluded. For the white wines of the same district, however, they are thought to be advantageous, rendering them less apt to spoil. Yet the wines of the Rhine, which are distinguished by their great durability, are not fermented with the stalks, and probably would not bear the addition. It is chiefly when the saccharine principle predominates that they contribute to the strength of the wine. The exact time required to complete fermentation varies, being dependent on the quality of the grapes and of the wine sought to be obtained. Weak wines require but a short time; the lighter wines, in truth, will not bear the vat longer than twenty-four or thirty hours. If a brisk wine be wished,

the contents of the vat must be drawn out into casks before the fermentation subsides. In general, the process may be regarded as terminated, when the saccharine flavor of the must has disappeared, and the liquor has acquired a distinct vinous taste.

One of the principal results of the process of fermentation, is the production of alcohol or spirit of wine, effected by the decomposition of the sugar, and the separation of the mucilaginous extractive matter of the must in the form of lees. The alcohol may be separated in a pure state by distillation; of which latter process, we may here remark, the ancients seem to have been entirely ignorant. Different kinds of wine yield very different qualities of alcohol; the strong wines of the south, particularly those of Spain and Languedoc, yield the most, namely, one-third of proof spirits.

In transferring the wine from the vat to the cask, it undergoes a new process, which renders it again turbid, and generates the phenomena that marked the former action. A portion of the sugar, though the taste of it has nearly disappeared, remains undecomposed; and this being acted upon by the mucilaginous extractive matter which still exists in solution, a disengagement of carbonic acid gas, and a fresh deposit of sediment will be the result. These movements become by degrees less perceptible, but still there goes on an invisible fermentation, as it is called, which, particularly in the case of the stronger wines, will continue for many years, during which they become much ameliorated. A portion of the coloring matter and tartar is precipitated: the liquor loses its harshness, and the aroma and flavor that are pcculiar to it become more apparent. These changes may be accelerated by various artificial methods, especially by the agitation of the lees, which always contain a quantity of fermentative matter, and by the assistance of heat. Hence the reason why certain strong and austere wines are so much improved and mellowed by being exported on the lees to a warm climate, while the lighter and more delicate wines are generally injured by being made to undergo a similar process, or even by the motion occasioned by the removal of them to any considerable distance.

The next step, when wine has attained a sufficient degree of maturity, is to free it from the lees by being racked, as it is termed, into a clean cask; and in order to prevent a renewal of fermentation, it is subjected to the operation of sulphuring. This process is generally performed by means of sulphur matches applied to the cask into which the wine is to be

racked. Should the fermentation still continue, this application is renewed as often as may be necessary. Sometimes must, strongly impregnated with sulphurous acid gas, is added to the wine, which answers the same purpose as the other mode. After sulphuring, the greater proportion of wines require to be farther clarified, or fined, before they attain a due brightness. For this purpose various substances are used, which by their chemical or mechanical action, unite with such materials as disturb the purity of the wine, and precipitate them to the bottom. The substances in general use are isinglass and the white of eggs, but as these, particularly in warm climates, are of a putrescent nature, gum arabic has been used instead of them. In Spain, the white wines are sometimes clarified with fullers' earth. Powdered marble, gypsum, heated flints, beech wood chips, and a variety of other things are used for the same purpose. The quantity, however, of any of these substances used is very small: one ounce of isinglass, for example, is sufficient for a hundred gallons of wine. Brandy is sometimes mixed with wine, and different wines are frequently mixed with each other: processes which require great attention and nicety.

With regard to the flavor and the color of wines, we may state that neither of these two qualities are inherent to a very great degree in any kind of grapes, with a very few exceptions, but that they are artificially communicated to the wines by the manufacturer. These results are obtained in various ways, some of which continue a secret. Its flavor, however, is often generated by the application of bitter almonds, oak chips, orris root, wormwood, &c. while color is the result of the use of logwood, Brazil wood, elder berry, oak chips, iron, &c. Both processes, to succeed, require to be managed with particular delicacy and skill.

Such are a few general remarks on the nature of the process by which wine-making is conducted. There are some minute differences in the manufacture of the various species of wine, but of these we have not room, nor is it necessary to give a particular account. The general principle which we have been analyzing, may be regarded as the foundation of a process, of which the varieties are endless.

That an excess of this reviving beverage is pernicious to health, no one will attempt to deny, any more than he would to excuse repeated intoxication. Wine is not so much used in this age to debase man as it was in times past. Those liquors least intoxicating are now preferred; and the quality of the wines given at table is at present more attended to

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