V 



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work very late, and leave OiTromc hours before fun- | ' thcnu^o remc.Jydiat diemlcK'es ; they need on 



fet, and the wine is the better for it. 



It is true, that fometimcs it is good to wait for the 



fiiUing of the rains, but this ought to be fome weeks, 



or at lead nniny days before riic vintage, and not in 



lefs of it, and then it would not inconimode the-n. 

 As for example ; aqua vita^ is not drank in fo f'Tcuta 



the time of i2:athering. 



o 

 ft 



As for example: when no rain has fallen for a long 

 time, and the Grapes have been fo flirivelled by the 

 heat, that there is fearceany thing but Grape ilones, 

 and a tough thick flcin, if one ihoukl gather them 

 then, they would yield but very litde wine, and alf( 

 it mi<^ht turn to a rartnefs, as it hajtpened for the mol 

 part to the red v;ines of tiie year i 7 i S, which was ex- 

 traordinary hot and dry. 



So then we ought not to gatlier the Grapes fo foon as 

 the rain that Vv'c iiave waited for is fallen, bccaufethe 

 Grapes ought to liave time to have the advantage of it, 

 which may be known when the berries grow large, 



quantity as vv^ine, nor a rtrong v/ine as a v.'cak one. 

 When the wine is very ftrong, tlicy ought to dr;i:k 

 water v;ith it, or drink lefs of it, then it wciuid nou- 

 rifli a perfon, inftead of v/earing his body, or ftupefy- 

 ing his fpirits. Thus, v/hen one is fenfiblc of any bad 

 efiects from our wines, it is not from tlM.'ir qualicy tluc 

 they proceed, but from their quantity, which peoole 

 know not h(nv to ufe rightly. 



Whatfoever ill-founded prejudice may be taken up 

 againft the wines of our vineyard pk)ts, it rnull ne- 

 verthelcfs be allowed that we Iiave the advantar^e over 

 the greatefl; part of other wines, that v/e arc able to 

 make them fuch as we would have, and fuch as are 

 demanded ; that is to fay, a delicate wine fit forpre- 

 fent drinking, red without beinp; harfh, and more or 



and fall upon the ground. 

 As to the other forts whether red or white, they may 

 be o-athered with lefs precaution, but they muft always 

 have their degree of ripenefs, according to the drtFc- 

 rent lands on which the vineyards are planted. 



Of the zvifics made in Orleans, 



lefs hard, witI;out lofing its quality, and thus wc are 

 able to make a wine equally good to drink throuqh 

 the whole courfe of the year, andalfo for many years 

 after. 



There are in this kingdom many vineyard plots, the 

 Vines of which have this bad quality, and yet thefeare 

 the wines that are fo much boafted of, which will 

 not keep the year without fpoiling, if they were not 



For a long time, at Paris and other places, there have I prcferved by ours, which have more of the quality 



been thofe who have endeavoured to decry the wines than they. 



of our vineyard plots, efpecially the red wines. In But if thofe who put fo great a (light upon our wines, 

 " the m>ean time it is obfervable, that thofe who fpeak fliould fay we do not know how to make them, they 



of them with the greateft contempt, cannot do with- would reafon more juftly than, they do, when they 



out them^ but procure them as they did formerly, ei- would have us ro believe chat our wines are not good ; 



ther to put off their weak wines, v/ithout colour, or for they ought to allow that they are good in them- 



that have fome other faults, and alfo to preferve the fclvcs, and we (hall agrc^, that if tliere is any fault 



fineft, moll delicate, and moft celebrated, | in them, it is by accident, fin*ce it only proceeds from 



For the wines of Burgundy arc no fooncr brought in, 



than they mix them with our wines to drink them, fo | Then it mull be faid, that the wines of Orleans are 



good, but they make them ill, and then there is no- 

 thing more wanting, but to avoid the faults in the 



the manner of making it.. 



-' T^-, * 



* - — 



w^* -*.*-*>»*4v -■**y 



-s 



To many different 



'*> 



lorvgas they lail; and thcyc is this to be laid or our 

 wines, that there is not ofic fingle wine merchant at 



Paris, who has not our wines in his vaults, not only I manner of making, and that is what I am going to- 

 for mixing with others which are meaner, but for 

 felling without any mixture; for tho' they have much 

 llrcngtIVy yet for all that, they do not fail to fell them 

 pure, as well for their tables as their offices, to thofe 

 that have the curiofity to drink a wirie that is good, 

 ' natural, and without fophiftication. 



The Rapes which are yearly made, and the great I proper for the Vines, well expofed to the fun, on a 

 quantity of wines, both red and white, which tlicy gentle declenfion from the north to the fouth, rather 

 are fo folicitous to purchafe a long time before they dry than moifti that the plants fet there be of a good 

 are made, in order to tranfport them from Paris into kind, and well chofcn ; that the vineyard be rather old 

 Flanders, Holland and England, and as far as the than young, never dunged, or but very little, but ra- 





treat of. 



We have in this plot of vineyards 

 Ibi-ts of foils and pi ants i tliat it would not be eafy to 

 ivc a direftion for the manner of makincT- the wines 



rom each of them-, I can only fay in the general^ 

 that in order to make good wine, the foil ought to be: 



ther earthed, and always well wrought, and in the 

 proper times to work them, and that the Grapes have 

 a certain degree of ripenefs before they be cut, and 

 that they be tunned after they have been trodden, 

 ^- For it mull be owned, that if they had not fuch good I when one would make wine that (hould have a colour. 



American iflands, where they drink good to the very 

 Idft drop, are in my opinion, fufficient proofs that 

 our wines are not fo contemptible as they would re- 

 prcfcnt them. 



r T ■- F 



qualities, or if they had any fault, they would not 

 come in fearch or them To fir, and would not take 

 fuch care tofurnifli themfelves withtbem in time. 

 Some fay that bur wines being harfli, red, and too 

 violent, they are Hot fo agreeable to be drank, and 

 that thofe that drink them to Any excefs, find them- 

 felves incoiiimbded, which never happens to them 

 ■when they drink the fame quantity, or even a greater, 

 of the wines of Champaign and Burgundy,' and many 

 other vineyard plots of the kingdom. 

 I anfwer, that thefe pretended faults arc the real quali- 

 ties of our wines, and thofe are what caufe them to be 

 fo much fought after-, for this very colour and harHi- 

 ncfs (provided that it be not too much fermented in 

 the vat) ferveto give a quality to other wines that are 

 weak, which would never be vended to any advan- 

 tage without beina; mixed with others. 

 Bcfidcsy if the harlhnefs of them, which they fome- 

 timcs have, be their fault, this is not always fo, it is 

 but accidental, and may be prevented by letting them 

 remain lefs lime in the vat. 

 As for the inconvenience that thofe are fenfible of. 



too 



thiiig for 



tv 



-- 



- ^ 



V* 



* 



J -. 



^ * 



and not for prefent drinking. 

 It is certain that when all thefe things concur, it will 

 be eafv to make o-ood wine ; but there are vet other 

 things to be obfervcd, of which I Ihall fpeak in the 

 following part of this article. 



They make in this plot of vineyards, as wdl as in, ma- 

 ny others, both red wine and white j I Hull fpeak firll 

 of the red, and afterwards of the white, of which 

 there are a few things to be laid. 

 The bell and mod precious wines of all that are made 

 in this plot of vineyards, is the Auvernat. Of- this 

 there are fix fpccics, viz. the Auvernat Teint, the 

 black, red, gray, and two kirids of whites ; which 

 are the white Auvernat of Soler, and that of tin; Lo^v 



Country. 



The Auvernat Teint is tire reddefi: ; and as it has zX- 

 wavs the quality, it gives the colour and the body to 

 the Auvernats, and prevents them from growing ropy. 

 And when it is mingled with the ret! only, they ougiic 

 to let it remain in the vat a little while ; efpecially in 

 thofe years, that there is reafon to believe the v.'ine 

 will take as much colour as tliey would that it fhor.ld 



have, or where it grows on a foil w here the wine has 



' ahvays 



4 



4*" 



