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Alcoholic Strength of Various Wines. 129

Young wine is red and bright at first, owing to the presence of phosphoric and other acids. As these acids become subdued, the color is subdued as well, until all that raw brightness, indicative of immaturity, is mellowed and ripened into the rich, tawny hue-that mixture of glowing red and mellow brown, with the golden light striking through, which every one takes as his surest guide in his choice of Port and red wines. Alas for his innocence! Even this may be counterfeited, and the telltale color of immature wines be artificially concealed and metamorphosed into the tawniest hue that ever graced the table of an epicure.

The error of preferring wines of great age has, at length, been discovered, and the excellence of the vintage has proved to be of more consequence than the number of years. Provided the vintage has been a good one, no Port wine drinker wishes his to have exceeded its eighth year; so that the lately esteemed epithet, "old," has lost its charm. Old Hock has also given way to young Hock, that is, of a fine season. The same may be said of Claret; and well, indeed, for unless clarets be the growth of some peculiarly good season, they will not keep till old. As the first-rate growths of wines are confined to a small number of vineyards, and these often of very lim ited extent, the supply of such wines can never equal the demand. Every one who can afford the luxury, is naturally desirous to stock his cellar with those of the choicest quality; he orders no others; and the manufacturer and wine-dealer are thus induced to send into the market a quantity of second-rate and ordinary kinds, under the names of the fine wines which they are unable to furnish. In this way, great confusion and misunderstanding have arisen in those countries where they are but little known, with respect to the true characters of many wines of the greatest name.

How Pure Grape Wine is made.

In most of the wine-growing countries three separate gatherings or vintages are made: the first of which includes all the finest and ripest bunches, from which the rotten or imperfect berries are carefully removed; a second gathering is composed of the next best bunches; whilst the third is made up of the refuse of the first two. The gathered bunches are deposited as lightly as possible to avoid bruising, and the damaged portions set aside. In order to effect the gathering without injury, the laborers use a kind of osier basket, which is conveyed on the head, or on the back of a horse.

In some cases the grapes are removed from the bunches and in others these last are pressed whole, as the astringent principle contained in the stems is considered beneficial, and there is no doubt that it aids in keeping the wine. Grapes for white wines are rarely removed from the stalks. The next operation consists in the pressing, which is managed variously in different countries. Some of them being still addicted to the use of the most rude methods, as, for instance, the mere weight of the human body, which is the prevailing method in some parts of France. In other parts a wine-press is employed; but for making red wine the treading is essential, in order to disengage the coloring matter from the skins, though there can be no objection to the subsequent use of the press. The only species of wine made from the grape without mechanical pressure other than its own weight is that called lagrima, which flows from the grapes as they are suspended in bunches; but this can only be made from the Muscatel grape. The juice thus obtained, either by treading or pressing, or in the way used for lagrima, is called must, and is turbid, with a sweet and agreeable taste, and a laxative effect on the human system. When must is put into a suitable vessel, at a temperature of 55 to 60 degrees, Fah., a gradual fermentation ensues as a natural consequence of the presence of vegetable albumen in the grape; bubbles of carbonic acid gas are evolved, and rise to the surface, bringing with them much of the refuse or dregs, which accumulate into a thick, spongy, and firm crust, covering the whole liquor. After a certain time the crust breaks into fragments and falls to the bottom, which is a sign that the fermentation has proceeded far enough, and it is, therefore, checked by racking into casks, and bunging them carefully, after removing them into a cool cellar. By fermentation, much of the saccharine matter is converted into alcohol, and the remainder is pleasant to the palate, with just enough sweetness to be agreeable. It is mainly upon the degree to which fermentation is carried, that the flavor of the wine depends, though the kind of grape and the nature of the soil and climate have also their proportionate effects.

From the development of alcohol, the effect upon the brain-in occasioning excitement, and, in large quantities, drunkenness-is produced, by which all spirituous liquors are distinguished; while there can be no doubt that any quantity of must, or unfermented wine, may be swallowed with perfect impunity, as far as intoxication is concerned. But even after the wine is stored in the casks, a slow fermentation still goes on by which the mucilaginous particles, and the tannin and woody matter, as well as the tartar, are thrown down in the shape of what is called lees. In this slow change the taste of the wine becomes more refined, and the harshness disappears, which was due to the presence in solution or suspension of the above ingredients. But, if the first fermentation has not been fully performed the second is also interfered with, and the wine continues turbid, emits bubbles, and sometimes breaks the containing vessel, as in the case of sparkling wines, in which this is purposely effected, but with great care, to avoid overdoing it.

If, on the other hand, the first fermentation has been carried too far, the wine is liable to run on to the acetous fermentation, which is very slow and insensible, but surely begins as soon as the alcoholic stage is concluded, if not checked by artificial means. Acetic acid, once formed, can not be altered into any other useful product, and the wine-grower is compelled to conceal its presence by converting it into a neutral salt, adding, for that purpose, an alkali or alkaline earth, or, in some cases, lead, which unites with acetic acid to form the acetate of that metal; a salt which has a sweet taste, not disagreeable to the palate, and without much effect upon the coloring matter of the wine, while, at the same time, it retards fermentation and putrefaction. Hence, its use has always been adopted by those who either are ignorant of its baneful effects upon the human system or are reckless of the consequences. The alkalies, on the other hand, destroy the red color of wine, changing it to a dark olive, and producing a disagreeable effect upon the flavor, so that they are never adopted, except with the white wines.

Wine-making is one of the simplest operations of nature. You can crush the juice from a bunch of grapes with your hands, put it into a bottle, tie a piece of cloth over the top, and it converts itself into wine without further human assistance. Let us see, now, what has caused this change. Pure grape-juice contains sugar; fermentation simply converts the whole, or a portion, of this sugar into alcohol. When this conversion is completed, the fluid in the bottle is no longer grape-juice, but wine! It is surprising, indeed, to think how many ignorant and credulous people there are who set their faces against, and will not believe, this simple and beautiful miracle! Let us add, also, that, when you apply a gentle heat to the wine so made, the spirituous part evaporates, and, when collected in a proper vessel, is brandy.

Upon the quantity of sugar in the grape-juice depends the strength of the wine. Some grapes have but a small quantity of sugar, and, therefore, it is a common custom to add cane sugar, either white or brown, to the must, to make the wine strong enough to keep; or, sometimes, which is still worse, brandy or whiskey is added, either before or after fermentation. The great difficulty which the native wine maker perceives is this: "If I do not add sugar or spirits to my wine, it will not keep!"

This is true, and now let us see the reason for it. So soon as the must has undergone the vinous fermentation, it passes rapidly to the acetous fermentation if exposed to the air. In other words, if, after you have squeezed your bunch of grapes, and made your bottle of wine, you do not cork it up, you will soon have a bottle of vinegar. But, if you do cork it up, the wine will keep for many years. The same rule holds good with wines in larger quantities. If your casks are not full, your wine will soon turn sour. Therefore, when your wine is racked off, see that every cask is full, and kept full. When a very large quantity is made this is an easy matter, for the main casks can be filled, from time to time, from smaller ones; but, when the quantity is small, the best way to accomplish it is to supply the wastage by adding clean washed pebbles, or clean gravel, so as to raise the wine to the bung. Be sure and turn the bung on one side, so that the wine will cover it. The only way to keep pure wine sound is to exclude the atmosphere.

Rules for Making Good Grape Wine.

The following rules for the manufacture of wine were communicated by M. D. Babo, the president of an agricultural society, and an extensive proprietor and winegrower at Weinheim, in the Grand Duchy of Baden :- 1. The grapes should not be gathered until they have arrived at complete maturity, that is to say, when they do not grow sweeter, in a sensible degree. If the weather is good, they may be allowed to hang some time after this for the purpose of giving the watery parts of the fruit time to evaporate. This increases considerably the strength and sweetness of the wine. Black grapes intended for red wine should not be allowed to become too ripe, as, if they do, they injure the color of the wine. 2. The vessels should be clean, and, above all, should not have contained sour wine. Care should also be taken that nothing should be allowed to fall into the must, which might cause acidity during the fermentation. 3. The white grapes should be put in a tub and pressed as quickly as possible, with the stems on. If obliged to wait before pressing the must, it is best to take out, at least, a portion of the stems which it contains, so that it shall not taste of them. The must of weak and mucilaginous wines ought to be allowed to ferment some days with the stems, so that the tannin which they contain will assist in the precipitation of the mucilaginous matter. For good wines, the mash or residuum of the grapes should never be pressed, as the last juice which comes from the press usually contains a great deal of acid, and but little sugar. 4. For the sharp wines of inferior quality, and for sweet and mucilaginous wines, it is indispensable to put the must into open tubs, and to leave it there for several days. There forms during this time a layer or stratum of a dirty brown color, which contains a great part of the mucilage, yeast, and acid rejected by the must, and which should be taken off with care every time it forms, so as to remove all those substances which alter the taste of the wine, cause fermentations, and do a great deal of mischief. 5. Care should be taken not to put the must into casks which are dirty, or which have been fumed with sulphur. There are some wine-growers who think that the fumes of sulphur applied to casks preserve the sweetness of wine, and there are ignorant purchasers who permit themselves to be cheated as to the quality of the wine, by the sugar which the unfinished fermentation has left in it without decomposing it. But the following summer these wines are found to be muddy and ferment often with great force, become sour, and are often completely spoiled. The wine, then, should be placed in casks which have not been fumed, and no obstacle to fermentation should be opposed, nor should it be arrested by the fumes of sulphur. There is no exception to this rule, save for those autumns which are unusually warm, and which cause fears that the fermentation will be too strong. In such case, the vessels may be fumed with sulphur. 6. The fermentation of red wine should be treated differently from that of white. The must of black grapes may remain twenty-four hours, with the stems mixed with it, so that the tannin contained in them may communicate itself with the must. At the end of that time, the stems and the seeds should be separated by means of a sieve, and the must should be poured into open vessels, which should be lightly covered during the fermentation. The temperature of the must during the fermentation should not be allowed to exceed 15° of Reaumur (65° Fahrenheit), in order to prevent the spirit from escaping. Every three or four hours the fermenting mass should be stirred to prevent it from souring. 7. At the end of fifteen or twenty days, when all action has ceased and the skins have yielded their coloring matter to the must, it should be put under the press and strongly squeezed, so that all the coloring matter shall be extracted. The wine is then placed in casks not fumed; and if it is desired to increase the capacity for tanning, some of the seeds, which should be separated by a sieve from the mesh, should be added to it. 8. If the weather is cold, the openings to the cellars should be closed, so that the fermentation may meet with no interruption. Persons should never enter the cellars until they have been tested for carbonic acid by a light. The carbonic acid may be driven from the cellars by opening all the issues, by lighting a fire on the stairway, by throwing hot water into them, and by scattering freshly-slacked lime in them. During the fermentation, the bung-hole should only be closed with vine-leaves, or by a little bag filled with sand--the object being to prevent the air from entering at the same time that the carbonic acid is permitted to escape. 9. Towards Christmas the clarification of the wine is about completed, and the yeast, which has become insouble during the fermentation, is precipitated. Four weeks after the commencement of the fermentation, the casks, which should not be quite filled up at first, become completely full. 10. The racking or drawing off from the lees, at Christmas, is very important and necessary. There always remains in the wine, after the first fermentation, a certain quantity of soluble leaven, and if this is not scattered, and the wine still contains undecomposed sugar, the liquid will become turbid, it will ferment again, and possibly be spoiled. In the first racking, towards the commencement of the year, care should be taken to expose the wine as much as possible to contact with the air, in which case the oxygen of the atmosphere precipitates the insoluble leaven, and the liquid clarifies completely, so that the second racking may be retarded until the end of April, there being no further fear of fermentation. 11. The following autumn another racking should take place, after which the wine may be considered as completely made. In drawing off, great care should be taken not to mix the portion of the wine at the bottom of the cask, which is still turbid, with the clear part which is above. The turbid part should be placed in a separate vessel, and submitted to a new racking before it is added to the other.

The author of these rules closes by saying: "If our wine-growers will strictly observe these prescriptions, without permitting themselves to be turned aside by local usages, they will obtain beautiful and good wines."

How to make Native Wine.

The following directions for manufacturing wine from our native grapes, with rules for conducting the process are by John O. Moltier, an experienced wine-maker of Cincinnati, and may therefore be considered reliable. In order to make good wine it is necessary to have a good cellar, clean casks, press, etc. First of all, have your grapes well ripened; gather them in dry weather, and pick out carefully all the unripe berries, and all the dried and damaged ones; then mash or grind them with a mill, if you have a proper mill for the purpose. Be careful not to set your mill so close as to mash the seed, for they will give a bad taste to the wine. If you wish to have wine of a rose color, let the grapes remain in a large tub a few hours before pressing. The longer time you leave the grapes before pressing after they are mashed, the more color the wine will have.

For pressing the grapes, any press will answer, provided it is kept clean and sweet. After you have collected the must in a clean tub from the press, have it transferred into the cask in the cellar. Fill the cask within ten inches of the bung; then place one end of a siphon, made for that purpose, in the bung, and fix it air-tight; the other end must be placed in a bucket containing cold water. The gas then passes off from the cask without the air coming in contact with the wine, which would destroy that fine grape flavor which makes our Catawba so celebrated. When properly made, the must will undergo fermentation. Keep the end of the siphon that is in the water fully four inches deep, so as to exclude the air from the wine. When it has fermented, which will be in fifteen days, fill the cask with the same kind of wine and bung it loosely for one week; then make it tight. Nothing more is needed till it is clear, which, if all is right, will be January or February next. Then, if perfectly clear, rack it off into another clean cask, and bung it up tightly until wanted. If the wine remains in the cask till fall, about November, it will improve by racking it again. Be sure to have sweet, clean casks. Do not burn too much brimstone in the cask; I have seen much wine injured by excessive use of brimstone, generally by new beginners. For my part, I make little use of it.

You can make different qualities of wine with the same grape by separating the different runs of the same pressing. The first run is the finest, if you want to make use of it the first season; but it will not keep long without losing its fine qualities.

To make good sound wine that will improve by age, the plan is to mix all up together. The very last run will make it rough, but it will have better body and better flavor when two or three years old, and will improve for a number of years. The first run will not be good after two or three years.

I have fully tested the different ways of making and keeping wine these last twenty-five years.

PART VI][.

A NEW PROCESS BY WHICH TO MAKE CHEAP WINES BY FERMENTATION, AS PRACTICED IN FRANCE AND GERMANY, AND ALSO ADOPTED BY THE LARGE WINE MANUFACTURERS IN NEW YORK, WITH DIAGRAMS SHOWING HOW TO MAKE THE NECESSARY APPARATUS.

IN presenting the following pages to the trade, the author has but one object to achieve, and that is the benefit of those who labor in the field in which he has spent the best part of his life. He has only to say that what he knows with regard to the making of approved stimulating beverages, he has set down in plain shape and form, so that all may read and understand. The process by which to make cheap wines, described in the pages which follow, is his discovery, and his alone. It was discovered during years of occupation as a manufacturer of wines in continental Europe and this country also, and is now given for the benefit and guidance of those who have been paying others large per centages for doing what they may do themselves.

By the process we describe, wines equal to the best of the inferior grades of imported grape vines can be manufactured at very little comparative cost and not much trouble, and they will be found, when tested, to compare more than favorably with what are called cheap imported wines. Whether the wines procured from abroad are genuine or not (and we assert that most of them are not), those made by this new process, the author claims, are genuine, inasmuch as they comprise and embrace a repre- (140)