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working ccafe, they let the Wine flaiid Ibme days, 

 and then rack it. This firing is only ulcd in cold 



years 



wlien the Wine tails out green. 



To let old Vs'ine a frcttinp, heing deadifli, and dull ov 

 taftc : take oi' ilum two ;j;.\:!i)ns to a hogfhead, pur it 

 hot upon th.e V\'ine; then let a pan of fire before the 

 hogfliead, which will then ferment till all the fv/cetncfs 

 of the ftum is communicated to the Wine, which 

 thereby becomes briHc and pleafant. 

 Some ufe this Humming at any time ; fome in Au- 

 gud only, when the Wine hath a difpofition to fret of 

 itfelf, more or lefs ftum to be added, as the Wincre-^ 



quires. : : 



Hie bell time to rack Wine is in the decreafe of the 

 moon, and when the Wine is free from fretting, the 

 wind being at north-eaft or north-well, and not at 

 fouth, the iT<y ferene, free from thunder and lightning. 

 Having; thus given an account of the different prac- 



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offer a few things which have occurred to me from 

 fome obfervations and experiments, relating to the 

 making of Wines in England, 



The Grapes, "being" ripe, fhould be cut when they 

 are perfectly dry, and carried into a large dry room, 

 where they muft be fpread upon Wheat llraw, in fuch 

 a manner as not to lie upon each other-, in this place 

 they may remain a fortnight, three weeks, or a month, 

 according as there is conveniency, obferving to let 

 them have air every day, that the moifture perfpired 

 from the Grapes may be carried off. Then, having 

 thS preffes and other things in order, you fhould pro- 

 ceed in the follov/ing manner : firfc, . all the Grapea 

 j(l:iould be pulled off the bunches, and put into tubs, 

 being careful to throw away fuch as are mouldy, rot- 

 ten, or not ripe, which, if mixed with the others, 

 will fpoil the Wine • and if the ftalks of the bunches 

 are pfeffcd with the Grapes, there wUl be an auftere 

 juice come from them, which will render the Wine 

 ^cid and iharp ; this, I fear, has fpoiled a great quan-. 



Wi 



good 



W;n 



jor we find in France, and other Wine co 

 where perfons are defirous of having good 

 they always pick the Grapes From off the ftalks before 

 they are preffed, though indeed the common yigne- 

 rons, who have more regard to the quantity than qua- 

 lity of their Wines, do not pradtife tliis. But as in 



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: climate, 

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The Grapes, being thus carefully picked off, fhould 



be 



the hufks' and" llohes flioiald be put into the liquor, 

 and if the feeds of ffbnes of the Grapeilre broken in 

 th&prefe, the. Wine" will have' more ftfensth ' whicii 



'-- '. 



put 



ferment together five or fix days i' after which the 

 Wine Ihould be drawn off^, and put into large caflcs, 

 leaving tke , bung-hole bpeiilo grve vent to the air 

 which is generated by fermentation. :\But it muft be 

 reniarked, that after the Wine is^pTefled out;andput 

 into^tbey^twith thehuiks, if it does not ferment in a 

 day or two at moft, it will be proper to add a little 

 warmth to the room by fires," which will foon put \t 

 into motion -and for want of this it often 'happens^' 

 where people prefs their Wine, and leate it to ferment' 

 in open cold places, that the nights, being'cold, check' 

 the fermentation, and focaufe the Wine to be foul, 

 and almoft ever after upon the fret. ' -This hufbandiy 

 IS much praftifed upon the Rhine, where they always 

 have ftoves placed in the houfes where the Wine is" 

 fermented, wherein they keep fires every night, if the 

 feafon is cold, while the Wines are fermentino-. 

 li white^Wine is defired,' then the hulks'" of the' 

 Cjtapes Ihould not remain in the liquor above twelve 

 hours, which will be long enough to fet if a fefment- 

 ing •, and^hen it is drawn ofi^, and put into other 

 velTels, it ibQuldnot remam there above two days be- 



fore it is drawn off again ; and this muff be rjoeatcd 

 three or four tin-)cn, \v!:lch v:iil prevent ics rakin?- an-- 

 tinCLure from the hulks, in i'crmentinp-. 



O 



When the greatcil icnncntaLion is over the Wine 

 fliould be drawn off into tvcPa caflcs, v/hich nunt be 



top, but ti:e bung-hole fhould be left 



hlled to the 



open tliree weeks, or a n^iondi, to give vent to tiic 

 generated air, and that t!ic Icum may run over; and 

 as the Wine fubiidL^s in tb.e cafks, they ftould be care- 



fully refilled with Wine of the fame fort from a ftore 

 cafk, which Ihould be provided for that purpofe ; but 

 this mull be done with much care, leit, by hiiftily re- 

 filling the caflvs, the fcum, which is naturally produced 

 upon all new Wines fbould be broken thereby, which, 

 will mix with the V/ine, and foul it, caufing; it to 

 ' take an ill tafte 5 therefore it would be proper to 

 , have a funnel, which Ihould have a plate at the fmall 

 end, bored full of little holes, that the Wine may 

 pafs through in fmall drops, which will prevent its 



breaking the fcum. 



jT , . ^ 1 -4 



After the Wine has remained in this ftate a month or 

 fix weeks, it will be neceiTiry to flop up the bung- 

 hole, lefb, by expofing it tocr miuch to the air, the 

 Wine fhould grow flat, and lofe much of its fpirit 

 and ftrength ; but it miUft not be quite flopped up, 

 but rather fhould have a pewter or glafs tube, of about 

 half an incii bore, and two feet long, placed in the 

 middle of the bung-hole." The life of this tube is to 

 let the air which is generated by the fermientation of 

 the Wine p^fs off, becaufc this, being, of a rancid na-" 

 ,ture, would fpoil the Wine, if it were pent up in the 

 caflc ; and inthis tube there may always remain fome 

 iWine, to^keep the caf[c"full as the Wine fubfidesV 

 and, as it ffiall be riecefiary, the Wine in th« tube 

 ;may be' eafifylepreniflied. '* For want of rightly iin- 

 Jderflanding this affair,' a'^eat qnantity of the choiceft 

 I Wines' df^Ttdry,* and other 'countries, have been loft. 

 A gfeafecbrti'plaint of this misfortune 1 received fron^ 

 a very curious gentlernan in Itaiy, 'who fays, .** Such 

 I "" is the riatufe of this country Wirtes in gefieral, (nor 



j"ai^the choicefl Chianti's excepted), that' kt' two 

 j ^"feafon's of the year, vizT' tllfe begihning of June ahdJ 

 "September, the'firff when the Grapes i^ln flower, 

 ^ and in the other when they begin to ripen, fome of 

 j **; the befl Wines are apt to change, efpecially at the 



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I ^- Matter feafon ; not that they turn eager, but take i 

 ' ' mofl unpleafant tafle, like that of a rotten Vine 



a 



c& 



leaf, whithr renders them not only unfit for drink^ 

 1^^ ing, but alfo to njal^e^vinegar pf, and. is called the 

 j*^'fettembrine; -^-Xnd what is moff flranac'is, that 

 I " one cafk drawn out of the fame vat^ fhould be in- 

 j ^^ fected,, and another remain oerfectly good, and yet 

 i **' both have' been kept in'theiame cellar;^"' ;': 'V' ^' 



I. 



I "v As this change happens n'ot to Wines in flaflcs, (tfi'o* 



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j** that will turn eager), I am apt to^ attribute it ta 

 **'^fome fault in refilling the caf1c,^''whicK"mufl alw^ 

 «'be kept full, which, either by letting alone too 

 1 **^^lono;, till the d^ecreafe be too great,' and fhe Icurn 

 I*' there naturally is on all Wines, thereby being too 

 !'"|rriuch dilatedyis fubje6t "to break, or elfe being 

 l**\brokenf*%y Ye^^^^^ the' cafk, gives it that vile 

 l^^tarce. But agalnft this* tHere is a vefjr 'fErpng 6B- 

 ^']e6ll6n"^rei'' that thirdefedt feizes the Wine only' 

 ^'^ ata particular feafon, viz. 'September; overwaich 

 1*^ if it gefs^^it will keep good many years, fo the 

 !*'f cafe is worthy'tlie inquiry ornaturalifls,']fincfe it is 

 I*' evident, that mofl Wines are more 'of lefs* afFe(5led 

 ^Twith this diftempei-r*aunng the firfl'year after 



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;Upon"feceiving this' information frdrfl Italy, I con- 

 sulted the Rev. Dr. Hales of Teddington, who was . 

 ;then making many'experiments oh fermenting liquors, 

 and received from him the following curious folution 

 of the ca'ufe of this change in Wine, which I fent 

 over to my friend in Italy, who has tried the experi- 

 rneh't,^^^nd it has accordingly anfwered his expefta- 

 tidh, in preferving the Wine which was thus managed, 

 jperfedljr good/-; He has alfo communicated the ex- ■ 



{)errnienrt6 fcveral vignerons inTeveral parts of Italf, 



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