WIN 



This tuaink being in fome degree ccmpofed, and the 

 gas fylveftre (as Van Helmont calls it,) or wilder fpirit 

 lufficiencly evaporated, they then pour the mutt into 

 clofc veffds, there to be farther defecated by continu- 

 ance of the fame motion of fcrn-ientation, relcrving 

 the froft or flower of it, and putting the fame inro 

 fmall cades hooped with iron, Iclt otherwife the force 



of it might break tiiem. 



■ * 



This flower thus feparated, is what they call fl:um, 

 either by tranfpofition of the letters in the word muft, 

 or fromthe word fl:um, which in High Dutch figniiies 

 mute, becaufe this liquor (as one may fay,) is hindered 

 from that maturity, by which i't fhould fpeak its good- 

 nefs and wholefomenefs,- '■ ; ' , 



^ done, they leave the reft of the Wine to 

 finifli its own fermentation, during which it is pro- 

 bable that the fpirituous parts impel and diffufe the 

 grofliT and feculent parts up and down fn a confufed 

 and tumultuous manner, until, all being difpofcd in 

 their proper regions, the liquor becomes more pure 

 in fubftancc, more tranfparent to the eye, more pi- 

 quant and gufl:ful to the palate, more agreeable to 

 the ftomach, and more nutritive to the body. 

 The impurities being thus feparated from the liquor, 

 are upon chemical examinations, found to confift of 

 falts, fulphur (each of which is impregnated v/ith fome 

 fpirits,) and much earth, which being now diffociated 

 from the pureft fpirits, either mutually cohere, coa- 

 gulate, and affix themfelves to the fides of the vefltrls 

 in form of a Itony cruft, which is called tartar and 

 argol, or fink to the bottom in a muddy fubft:ance, 

 like the grounds of ale or beer, which is called the 

 lees of Wine. And this is the procefs of nature, in 

 the clarification of all Wines, bv an orderly fermeh- 

 tation 



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As for the principal agent, or efficient caufe of this 

 operation, it feems to Ke no- other but the fpirit of 

 the Wine itfelf, which moving every way in the mafs 

 of the liquor, thereby difiTolves that common tye of 

 mixture, whereby all the heterogeneous parts thereof 

 were combined and blended together ; and having 

 gotten itfelf free, at length abandons them to the ten- 

 dency of their gravity, and other properties, which, 

 they foon obeying, each kind contorts with its like, 

 and betaking themfelves to their fevcral places or re- 

 gions, leavd the liquor to the poffeflion and govern- 

 ment of its nobleft principle, tlie fpirit. ' For this fpi- 

 rit, as it is the life of the Wine, doiibtlefs it is alfo 

 the. caufe of its purity and vigour, in which the j)er- 

 fedtion of that life feems to confift/ ^vv--''^. ia;'^;-_r.. 

 From the natural fermentation of the Wines,'' we 

 pafs to die accidental ; from their ftate of foundnefs, 

 to that of their ficknefs, which is. th" '"' ^ '-* 



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fccond genera! 





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head. • * '■ * 

 We have the teftimony of experience, that frequent- 

 ly even thofe Wines that are good and generous, are 

 invaded by unnatural and fickly commotions, or 

 (as the Wine coopers call them; workings ; during 

 ■whichthey are turbulent irilnotion, thicK of confift- 

 ence, unfavoury in taftc, unwholefome in ufe, and, 

 after which, they undergo fundry alterations for the 

 worfe, 'V 



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The caufesof tjiismay be either internal or external. 

 Among the internal, the chief place nfiay be affigncd 

 to the exceffive quantity of tartar, or of lees, which 

 contain much fait and lulphur, and continually fend 

 forth into the liquor abundance of quick and adive 

 particles, that like ftiim', or other adventitious fer- 

 ment, put it into a frelh tumult or confufion, which, 

 if not in rime allayed, the Wine either grows rank or 

 pricking, or elfe turns four^ by reafon that the ful- 

 phur being too much exalted above the reft of the 

 elements o'r ingredients, predominates over the pure 

 fpirits, and afi^edts the whole mafs of liq^uor with fharp- 

 nefs or acidity -, or clfe it comes to pais, that the fpi- 

 rits being fpent and llown away in the commotion, 

 the fait, diifolved and fet afloat, obtains the maftery 

 over the other fimilar parts, and introduceth ranknels 

 or ropinefs. *■:.'»' .- -- ' ^x 



Nav, if thofe ccmmotiohs chance to be fupprefTed be- 



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fore, the Wine is thereby much depraved, yet dd 

 thej always le;ive fuch ill imprcffions, as more or lefa 

 alienate Wine from the goodnefs of its. former ftate, 

 in colour, confiftence, and tafte. 

 For hereby all Wines acquire a deeper tincture, i. e. 

 a thicker body or confiftence i facks and white Wines 

 changing from a clear white to a cloudy yellow •, and 

 claret lofino- its bright red for a dufldfh Oranf^c co- 

 lour, and lometimes for a tawney. In like manner 

 they degenerate alfo in tafte, and aff^cl the palate 

 with foulnefs, roughnefs, and rancidity, ver)' un- 

 pleafant. ..-.;. . -.... ., 

 Among the external are commonly reckoned the too 

 frequent or violent motion of Wines, after their fet- 

 tlemcnt in their veflels ; immoderate heat, thuiider, 

 or the report of cannon, and the admixture of any 

 exotic body, which will not fymbolize or agree, and 

 incorporate with them ; efpecially the flcfli of vipers, 

 which has been frequently obfcrved to induce a very 

 great acidity upon even the fweeteft and fulleft-bodied 

 Malaga and Canary Wines. • • 



This brings us, in the next place, to the third pre- 

 vious thing confiderable ; viz. the palling or flatting 

 of Wines, and their declining towards vinegar, before 

 they have attained to their ftate of maturity and per- 

 fection. ' , ,. - 

 Of this the areateft and neareft caufe feems to be their 

 jejunenefs and poverty of fpirits, either native or ad- 

 ventitious : 



Native, when the Grapes themfelves are jof a poor 

 ,'and hungry kind, or gathered unripe, or nipt by early 

 frofts, or half ftarved in their growth, by a dry and 

 iinkindly feafon, or too full of watery parts :, 

 Adventitious, when the, li(^i3or, rich , perhaps, and 

 generous enough at firft, comes afterwards to beim- 

 poverilhed by lofs of fpirics, either by oppreffion, or 



by exhauftion, - ■;. - .'. '■'• ,r:r- i -.r .^rX)'-''^^-' 

 -The fpirits of Wine may be oppreflc'd, when the 

 quantity of impurities or dregs, with which they are 

 combined, is fo great, and their crudity, vifcofity, 

 and tenacity, fo ftubborn, thatthey can neither over- 

 come them, nor deliver them froni die adhefion j but 

 are forced to yield to the obftinacy of the matter on 

 which they fliould operate, and fo to remain unaclive 

 and clogged, as may be exemplified in the coarfe 

 Wines of Moravia, which, by reafon of their great 

 aufterity and roughnefs, feldom attain to a due exal- 



. .tadon of their fpirits, but ftill remain turbulent, . 



...thick, and in" a ftate of crudity, and "therefore eafy 

 pall.; in.which refpeft t^hey arp Qpri^tpjicd b^feipe 



f German phyficians, as bad for generating the'fcurvy, 

 and adminiftering matter for the ftone and gout, they 

 yielding more of the tartar than other Wines. 

 The fpirits of Wine may be exhaufted or confumed^ ' 

 eitherfuddenly or gradually.;, fuddenly, by lightning, 

 .which fpoils Wine, not by congelation or fixation of 

 its fpirits \ for then fuch N^^ines might be capable of 

 being reftored.hy fuch means as are apt; to r.cinforce 

 and volatilize the i^irits again, contrary to what 

 hath been found by experience ^ but'perhaps by dif- 

 gregation, and putting them to flight, fo as to leave 

 the liquor dead, palled, and never to be revived by 

 any fupply. : ,■ ■:-. ' :* ; 



Gradually, two ways ; viz^ by unnatural ferrpenta- 

 tion ; of the ill effefts of 'which, Something has been 

 already faid ; or by heat fxQP^ without j of \yhich we 

 have an inftance in the making of vinegar, which com- 

 monly is done 'by fetting the veflTels of, Wine againft 

 the hot fun, which, beating upon the mafs. of liquor, 

 and rarefying the finer parts thereof, gives wings to 

 the fucyitive fpirits to fly away together v/ith the purer 

 and more vola,til9 fulphur, leaving the remainder to 

 the dominion of the fait, which foon debafeth and in- 

 fedeth it with fournefs. 



This being^the common n^anncK of turning Wine into 

 vinegar, in all ages, and in all countries, it may be 

 doubted, whether fpirit of Wine may be drawn out 

 of vinegar, notwithftanding it hath been deliYered as 

 pradticable bySennertus himfcif. .. ., ^ 



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