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The times of the year when Wines are obfcrved to be j lefs noxious, than that borrowed fioin one of tlic an- 

 moft prone to ferment and free, and then to grow 

 qually fas it is called,) that is, turbulent and foul, 

 Midfuninicr and Allhallowtide, when our vine- 



are 



ners are wont to rack them from their grofs lees, ef- 

 pecially Rhenitli, which commonly grows fick in 

 June, if not racked ; and they chufe to do it in the 

 wane of the moon, and fair weather, the wind being 



northerly. 



Having thus fuccin6lly recounted the mofl: remarka- 

 ble difcmpers of Wines, gueffed at their refpeftive 

 caufes, and touched upon the times, it is proper to 

 proceed to their ufual remedies ; fuch, at lead, as 

 may be collected from Wine coopers and vintners ; 

 which is the fourth and laft part propofed to be treat- 

 ed of. 

 To begin therefore with fome of the artifices ufed to 



Wines when yet in muft ; it is obfervable, that tho', 

 to raifing a fermentation in them at that time, there 

 is not fo much need of any additional ferment, as there 

 is in the wort of ale, beer, hydromel, metheglin, 

 and other forts of drinks, familiar to us in England ^ 

 becaufe the juice of the Grape is repleniflied with 

 o-enerous fpirits, fufficient of themfelves to begin 

 that work ; yet it is ufual in fome countries to put 

 quick lime either upon the Grapes, when they are 

 prefling, or into the muft; to the end that, by the 

 force and quicknefs of its faline and fiery particles, 

 the liquor may be both accelerated and affifted in 



the working. 



For the fame reafon perhaps, it is, that the Spaniards 

 mix with their Wines, while they are yet flowing from 

 the prefs, a certain thing they call gieflb, which pro- 

 bably is a kind ofgyplumor plaifter, whereby the 

 Wines are made more durable, of a paler colour, and 

 pleafanter tafte ; others put into the caik fhavings of 

 Fir, Oak, or Beech, for the fame purpofe. 

 Again; though the firft fermentation fucceeds gene- 

 rally well, fo that the whole mafs of liquor is thereby 

 delivered from the grofs lee ; yet fometimes it happens 



cicnts by the Lord ClianccUor Bacon -, which i^, by 

 putting the Wine into vtllcls well itoppcd, and lettino- 

 it down into the fea. 

 That this practice was very ancient, is manifeft from 

 that difcourfe of Plutarch, Q^iitMl. Natur. 27. about 

 the efficacy of cold upon mult, whereof he crives this 

 reafon. That cold, not fuffcring the muft to ferment 

 by fupprelTing the aflivity of the fpirits tisercin con- 

 tained, confcrveth the fwcctnefs thereof a lono- time • 

 which is not improbable ; becaufe experience teaches 

 that fuch as make their vintage in a rainy feafon, can- 

 not get their muft to* ferment well in a vault, unlef; 

 they caufe great fires to be made near the calks ; the 

 rain mixed with the muft, together with the ambient 

 cold, hindering the motion of fermentation, which 

 arifes chiefly from heat. 



That the fame is frequent at this day alfo, may be 

 collected from what Mr. Boyle has obfcrved in his 

 Hiftory of Cold, on the relation of a Frenchman ; 

 viz. that the way to keep Wine long in the muft (in 

 which the fweetnefs makes many to defire it) is, to tun 

 it up immediately from the prefs ; and before it begins 

 to work, to let down the veffels, clofely and firmly 

 ftopped, into a v/cll, or deep river, there to remain 

 for fix or eight weeks •, during which time the liquor 

 will be fo confirmed in its ftate of crudity, as to re- 

 tain the fame, together Vv'ith its fweetnefs, for many 

 months after, without any fenfible fermentation. 

 But it may be objefted. Flow can thefe tv/o fo different 

 efitds, the clarification of new Vv-'ine, and the con- 

 fervation of Wine in the muft, be derived from one 

 and the fame caufe, the cold of the \¥ater ? 

 But this may be conceived without much difficulty ;" 

 for it feems not unreafonable, that the fame cold 

 which hinders muft from fermenting, fliould yet ac- 

 celerate and promote the clarification of Wine after 

 fermentation ; in the firft, by giving a check to' the 

 fpirit before it begins to move,anda6t upon the crude 

 mafs of liquor, fo that it cannot ,in a long time after 

 recover ftrength enough to work ; in the latter, by 

 keeping in the pure and genuine fpirit, ptherwife ape 

 to exhale ; and rendering the flying lee more prone to 

 fubfide, and fo makino; the Wine much fooner clear. 



either through fcarcity of fpirits at firft, or through 



immoderate cold, that fome part of thofe impurities 



remain confuted and floating therein. 



Now, in this cafe, Wine coopers put into the Wine 



certain things to haften and help its clarification ; fuch | fine, and potable. 1 Thus much concerning the helps 



as being of grofs and Vifcousjparts, may adhere to the I of new Wine. 



floating lee, and fmking, carry' It with them to the I The general and principal rem.edy for the preterna- 



bottom J of which fort are ifinglafs, and the whites j tural or fickly commotions incident to Wines after 



of eggs, or fuch as, meeting with the groflfer and! their firft clarification, and tending to their impove- 



earthy particles of the lee, diflTociate and fink them 

 by their gravity \ of which kind are the powders of 



rift)ment or decay, is racking, 1. e. 

 from tKetr leeiTinto frefli veflels. 



drav^ing them 



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alabafter, calcined flints, white marble, roche allum,p-^>^ Which yet being fometlmetlnfumclent to preferv 



fixa them, vintners find it necefl^ary to pour into them a 



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&c. 



The Grecians, at this day, have a peculiar way of j "Kfge quantity of new milk, as well to blunt the fharp- 



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fpurrtrig nature, in fining and ripening the firongeft' 

 ahd^moft generous Wines y and this is done by adding 

 "^to tl*n1, when they begin to Work, a proportionate 

 £[uahtity 6f fulphtir and alluni;^not (as is very proba- 



ble) to prevent their fumifig up to the head, and ine- 



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briating, according to the conjc£lure of that great 

 man, the Lord St. Albans'; for, notwithftanding this 

 mixture; they caufe drunkennefs as foon, if not fooner 

 than other Wines ; nor are men intoxicated with the 



.. vapours of W^"^ Ay^^g "P immediately from the fto- 

 - 'ittach into the brain ; but only to excite and promote 

 '^ fermentation, and haften their clarification that enfues 



thereupon ; the fulphur perhaps helping to attenuate 

 • and divide thofe grofs and vifcid parts, wherewith 

 ^ Greek Wine abounds, and the allum conducing to 



the fpeedier precipitation of them afterwards. And a 

 '^;learned traveller relates, that fome merchants put into 



every pipe of their Greek Wine a jill, or thereabouts, 



of the chemical oil of fulphur, in order to preferve it- 



" nefs of the^fulphureous parts now fet afloat andexalt- 

 ;:.,ed,aS to precipitate them, and other impurities, to 

 the bottom byadhefion.; 



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But, taught by experience, that by this ^me^ins the 

 genuine fpirits of the Wirie alfo dre much flatted and 

 itnpaired, (for the lee, though it makes the liquor 

 turbid, doth yet keep the.^ine in heart, and con- 

 duce to its duration-,) therefore, left fuch Wines 

 fliould pall and die upon their hands, as of neceffity 

 they muft, they draw them for.fale as faft as they can 

 vend them.: J 

 for the fame difeafe they have divers other remedies, 

 particularly accommodated to the nature of^die Wine 







that needs them ; to inftance a few j -ti^'i^H. : 

 'ForSpanifli Wines difturbed by a flymg lee, 



they 



the longer clear and found : • 



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Which, though it is very probable, becaufe the ful- 

 phur is known to refift putrefa<5tion,in liquors, yet one 

 ' would decline the ufe of Wines fopreferved, unlefsin 



time of peftilehtial infeftion/: . -. 



But of all ways of the haftening the clarification and 

 ripening of Wine, none feems to be more e.afy, or 



I ' 





have this receipt : Make a parell (as they call it) ot 

 the whites of eggs, bay fait, rpi)k,^and conduit wa- 

 ter; beat them well together in a convenient veffcl, 

 then pour them into a pipe of Wine (having firft drawn 

 out a gallon or two to make room,) and blow off the 

 froth very clean ; hereby the tumult will in rvvo c: 

 three days be compofed, the liquor refined, and drink 

 pleafantly, but will not continue to do fo long ^ and 

 therefore they advife to rack It from the milky bot- 

 tom, after a week's fettlcment, left othcrwife it fnould 

 drink fouL and change colour^ v . . . . ^^ 



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