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To Manage Foreign Wine-Vaults

The principal object to be attended to in the management of foreign wine-vaults is to keep them of a temperate heat. Care must be taken, therefore, to close up every aperture or opening, that there may be no admission given to the external air. The floor of the vault should likewise be well covered with saw-dust, which must not be suffered to get too dry and dusty, but must receive now and then an addition of new, lest, when bottling or racking wine, some of the old dust should fly into it. At most vaults, in the winter, it is necessary to have a stove or chafing-dish, to keep up a proper degree of warmth. In the summer time it will be best to keep them as cool as possible. To Fit Up a Cellar of Wines and Spirits.

Provide a good rope and tackling to let down the casks into the vaults or cellar, and a slide, ladder or pully for the casks to slide or roll on; a pair of strong slings; a pair of can hooks and a pair of crate hooks; a block of wood to put under the pipes when topping them over in a narrow passage, or in casing them; a small valinch to taste wines; a crane, and a small copper pump to rack off; 2 or 3 gallon cans made of wood; a large wooden funnel; 2 or 3 copper funnels, from a quart to a gallon each; 2 racking cocks; 2 wine bottling-cocks; a brace and various bits; 2 small tubs; a square basket to hold the corks; 2 small tin funnels; a small strainer; 2 cork-screws; 2 or 3 baskets; a whisk to beat the finings; 3 flannel or linen bags; a strong iron screw to raise the bungs; a pair of pliers; bungs, corks, and ventpegs; 2 frets or middle-sized gimblets; some sheet-lead and tacks to put on broken staves; brown paper to put round cocks and under the lead, when stopping leaks; a staff with a chain at one end to rumage the wines, etc.; shots and lead canister or bristle brush, and 2 cloths to wash bottles; 2 large tubs; some small racks that will hold 6 dozen each; a cooper's adze; an iron and a wooden driver to tighten hoops; 2 dozen of wooden bungs of different sizes; a thermometer, which is to be kept in the vault; a stove or chafingdish, to keep the heat of the vault at a known temperature; a few dozen of delph labels; a cupboard to hold all the tools; a spade; 2 good stiff birch brooms, and a rake to level the sawdust.

To make Port Wine.

The dark red port is made from grapes gathered indiscriminately and thrown into a cistern; they are then trodden, and their skins and stalks left in the mass, which separate during fermentation and form a dry head over the liquid. When the fermentation is completed, the liquor underneath is drawn out and casked. Before being exported it is mixed with one-third of brandy, to enable it to keep during the voyage; otherwise the carriage brings on the acetous fermentation, and the wine is converted into vinegar.

French Method of Making Wines.

In the southern parts of France their way is with red wines to tread or squeeze the grapes between the hands, and let the whole stand, juice and husks, till the tincture is to their liking; after which they press it. For white wines they press the grapes immediately, and when pressed they tun the must and stop up the vessel, leaving only the depth of a foot or more to give room for it to work. At the end of 10 days they fill this space with some other good wine that will not work it again.

To Rack Foreign Wines.

The vault or cellar should be of a temperate heat, and the casks sweet and clean. Should they have an acid or musty smell, it may be remedied by burning brimstone matches in them; and if not clean rinse them well out with cold water, and after draining, rinse with a quart of brandy, put- Then strain the lees or bottoms through a flannel ting the brandy afterwards into the ullage cask . or linen bag. But put the bottoms of Port into the ullage-cask without going through the filteringbag. In racking wine that is not on the stillage, a wine-pump is desirable.

To Manage and Improve Poor Red Port.

If wanting in body, color and flavor, draw out 30 or 40 galls. and return the same quantity of young and rich wines. To a can of which put 3 gills of coloring, with a bottle of wine or brandy. Then stirring it well. If not bright in about a week or whisk it well together and put it into the cask, ten days, fine it for use; previous to which put in at different times a gallon of good brandy. If the wine is short of body put a gallon or two of brandy in each pipe, by a quart or two at a time, as it feeds if the wines are in a bonded cellar, procure a funthe wine better than putting it in all at once. But nel that will go to the bottom of the cask, that the wine. the brandy may be completely incorporated with To Manage Claret.

Claret is not a wine of a strong body, though it requires to be of a good age before it is used, and therefore it should be well managed; the best method is to feed it every 2 or 3 weeks with a pint or two of French brandy. Taste it frequently, to know what state it is in, and use the brandy accordingly; but never put much in at a time, while a little incorporates with the wine and feeds and mellows it.

If the claret is faint, rack it into a fresh emptied hogshead, upon the lees of good claret, and bung it up, putting the bottom downwards for two or three days, that the lees may run through it.

To Color Claret.

If the color be not yet perfect, rack it off again into a hogshead that has been newly drawn off, with the lees; then take 1 lb. of turnsole and put it into a gallon or two of wine; let it lie a day or two, and then put it into the vessel; after which lay the bung downwards for a night, and the next day roll it about.