■ ^ 



There muft alfo be a vefTcl called gueulebee to empty 

 thefe velTels in as they fill, and it (hould be covered 

 with a thick double linen cloth, and clofed or fadened 

 all round about with a hoop to hinder the wine from 

 growing flat. 



The lee defcends by little and little to the bottom of 

 the cafks, where it is joined with the fcum which 

 there falls together, and is incorporated with it. 

 Some days after, the wine being grown clear, they 

 empty the veffel, and the lee remains at the bottom. 

 This wine may be put into a vefTel by itfclf, without 

 mixing with the wine which is in the cafl^s out of 

 which it came. Some fay this collected wine is the 

 more fine and ftrong, and others fay to the contrary 5 

 but they may fay what they will, for it is always true 

 that this wine is very good, provided it has been kept 

 very clofe in the veflel where It was colleded. 

 And I believe that one might, without any fcruple, 

 make ufe of it for filling the wine; but as to this, you 

 need not confult either the merchants or the vigne- 

 rons, fince the one has not judgment or fmcerify 

 enough, and the other are too much interefted ; and 

 I fpeak with a knowledge of the matter, founded ori 

 the experience I have had many times, and without 

 any ihtereft but that of the public. 

 Thofe who, from a covetous temper, \/Ill not be at 

 the charge of procuring thefe gutters and vefTels to 

 receive the wine of the caflcs while they are boiling, 

 have no fkill in it ; for the wine, which they would 

 fave by this means, would make amends entirely the 

 firft year for the expence they would be at inprocur- 

 ing them. 



Odiers, that are afraid that they fhall not fell their 

 wine, fay that the' merchants have always an opinion 

 in favour of that wine, of which the two fides of the 

 bung of each caflc are filled with fcum as far as the 

 firft bands or circles, and that they have a quite con- 

 trary opinion of thofe where it does not appear. 

 it is true that fofmerly they did mind this, and their 

 opinion might be well grounded, becaufe they never 

 made ufe of thefe gutters ; but at this time their opi- 

 nion is altered, for they are perfuaded that thefe gut- 

 ters being in ufe, a cafk may have caft out all the fcum, 

 without its appearing at the fides of the bung, be- 

 caufe it falls into thefe veflcls that are fet to receive 

 it, ..and lik^wife that all jthe wine .that is, there is well 

 mixed. '^5 ! ' '^- 





Befides, it is an eaiy matter for a merchant to know 



if there be jriyfh.leein the cafk, for he needs only to 

 pierce it into the lee, that is to fay, at the bottom, 

 about two fin2;ers brth^ notch of the calk where. the, 



- - A 



head pieces come in. . • - ■/ ... 



The v/ine having cad out all its fcum,'' it will be pro- 

 per to tafte all the caflcs into which it has been put \ 

 to the end that, if any one be found that has a bad 

 relifli, thofe who havepurchafed them may be apprifed 

 cf it, that they 'rnayput" all the bad ones to their pwn 



* ' 





p 



account. , .- , .. 



Some fay, that St. Martin's day beifig pafTed, you 



cannot oblige the mei-chants, ,whohgye purchafedthe 



' * 



fa 



i;. 



wine, to tc 



cafks, l^ecaufe they lay 



medy it. Others pretend that the merchants are an- 



Avevable three months after the cafks'have been filled, 



provided they have not been removed from off the 



ftilhngS.'" , ' .l.;-'N" V - .-:^,V' ':-. .■-•■'^' 



When the wine has done boiling, it muft be covered 

 yvith the largefl fide of the bung to hinder it Trbm 

 evaporating ; and eight or ten days ^fterwards it muft 

 ^filled full, andbun^ed up...^, .,.' :V. ..-. .',-.^^ 

 SQme make ufe of bungs about half a foot long, be- 

 caufe they can take them out wjthout daubing the 

 cafks 'with the fcumj but I am of opinion that broad 

 bungs are better, and to make two iioleson the fide, 

 the one atjout the bignefs of a little faucet, the other 

 about the bigriefs of one's little finger, that a pewter 

 funnel maj^ be p"t in, having in it a piece of pewter 

 foldered afiout two inches from the end, the holes 

 of which may be as big again as thofe of a tobacco 

 erater ; ^10 the end that, when one ufes it to fill the 



. 



I 



caflcs, tleither ftone, hor flcin, nor kernels, nor IcCi 

 may pafs. , The great hole fcrvcs for the putting in 

 of a tunnel, and the other to give vent for the cafks 

 during the time the wine is pouring in them. 

 The little hole ought to be made at the time that the 

 caflcs are bored, to pyit in the wine with the great 

 wooden funneli tor if the focket exaflly fills the bung 

 hole, tlie caflc would fill very flowly, if it had no't 

 vent given it by the little hole. 

 When it is done after this manner, the tuns are not 

 daubed with the fcUm. It is not difturbed, as is done 

 in ftriking to beat in the bung, and the wine will have 

 lefs vent. . . - "■ 



1 ■ 



You muft be furc to fill the v/ine every fifteen dav af- 

 . ter it has been bunged, until towards St. Andrew's 

 day ; you are not to meddle with it any longer, till 

 after the feverity of the" winter is over, which com- 

 monly happens towards the middle of February, be- 

 caufe the froft may make it fwell. 

 The Auverhat is not the only red wine that 'we have in 

 this vineyard plot ; there are alfo other wines made, 

 that have the fame colour, but are of a different 

 quality. 



.There is," for example, the Bon Lignage, or the 

 good wine, and that which is made of all forts of 



' Grapes. ' As to the firft, it is made of the red Au- 

 vernat, theYeinr, the Gray, the White, the tender 

 Samoireau, the Melier, and all the beft forts of red 

 Grapes. 



The fecond is compofed of all forts of Grapes, cood 

 and bad, but moVe of the latter than the former; 

 whence it is eafy to be comprehended, why the one 



■ has lefs of the quality than the other. And as this 

 fecond is generally fpent in the country, they make it 

 all manner of ways, either fit for prefent drinking, 

 or firm, or hard, according 'to the'occafion they have 

 for it, and the quantity they are to provide. As to 

 the other, they don9tfailto make it, and often fend 

 It to Fans. . ,,..-..;-. 

 All thefe forts of Grapes are not gathered with the 

 fame care as the red Auvernat, which cannot bear 

 the water^ neverthelefs the wine is the better, when 

 the- Grapes, with which it is made, are cut in a fea- 

 fon that is rather hot and dry than cold and moift. 

 We have, in fome places of this vineyard plot, three 

 forts of red wines, bearing the fame name, which, ne- 

 verthelefs, they diftinguifli the one from the other/ 

 There is the tender Samoireau, the hard, and the 

 Fourchu, which have all three different qualities. 



der Samoireau does very well in the lands of 

 theOliyer, S£,.M?fmin, andClery, where it is more 

 plentiful than any where clfe. They make of it a par- 

 ticular wihe'which will keep a long time, provided it 

 have no mixture, and that they give it but little of 

 the vat'; this renders it firm, and prevents it from 

 growing ropy. ^ : " . . . 



This Grape may be mixed with the red Aurernat, be- 

 caufe they both ripen at the fame time. The Samoi- 

 reau glyes'the colour to the Auvernat ; it fuftains it, 

 and caufes it to keep a long time ; but ypu^muft put 

 but a fmall quantity, for fear of altering or entirely 

 abforbing the quality of the Auvernat, which after it 

 has loft, it alfo lofes its name, and is no more regard- 

 ed, but as a good Vin de Lignage, or one compofed 

 of all forts of Grapes, ,\yhich is vulgarly called Vig- 

 neron Auvernat, very different from that of the citi- 

 zens, which is in a manner pure Auvernat. When 

 one \yould render this Vin dc Lignage yet better, he 

 may put to it a fourth part of good Melier. , 

 The hard Samoireau is a little higher coloured than 

 the tender..-. When ic has but its proper degree of the 

 vat, they may mix one or two puncheons of white, 

 and a little lefs, when they tun it ; they fhould alfo, 

 when it may be done, take a Melier of a better kind, 

 for this wine has not much fire. . When ic is pure, 

 and it has pafTed the year, that quahty diminiflieth ; 

 it is then proper to make ufe of rapes, not of chips 

 orfhavings, but of Corn, without putting Grapes to 

 it, as fome do, for tha: renders ic hard and difagreea- 

 ble to drink. . 



Ic 



M 



