and Ihe Method of making Wines. 143 



the wines of the North would lofe their moft valuable quali- 

 ties, if their removal of the vats were delayed till that time. 



There are fome eountries where it is judged that the fer- 

 mentation is completed, when the wine, after being put into a 

 glafs, exhibits no foam at the top, and no air-bubbles at the 

 fides of the glafs. In other places it is thought fufficient to 

 ihake the wine in a bottle, or to pour it from one glafs into 

 another feveral times, to afccrtain whether there exifts any 

 foam. But befides that all new wines give more or lefs 

 foam, there are many in which that mark of efTervefcence 

 ought to be preferved, in order that they may not lofe one of 

 their principal properties. 



In fome countries, a ftick is immerfed in the vat, and 

 fpeedily drawn out; the wine is then fuflfered to drop from it 

 into a glafs, to fee whether a circle of foam is formed in it 5 

 which is called /aire la roue. Some thru ft their hand into 

 the refufe, and, applying it to their nofe, judge, by the fmell, 

 of the Mate of the vat > if the fmell is mild, they allow the 

 wine to ferment fome time longer; if it is ftrong, it is re* 

 moved from the vats. 



Some agriculturifts, alfo, confult only the colour in order 

 to regulate the period of removing the wine from vats. They 

 fuffer it to ferment till the colour becomes fufficiently dark : 

 but the coloration depends on the nature of the grapes ; 

 and mull; in the fame climate, and produced from the lame 

 foil, does not always {how the lame difpofition to acquire co- 

 lour; which renders this iign exceedingly variable and very 

 infufficient. 



It thence follows, that all thefe figns, taken feparately, can- 

 not exhibit invariable refults; and that, if we wifli to reft on 

 fixed bafes, recurrence mult be had to principles. 



The object of fermentation is 10 decompose the faccharine 

 principle : the more abundant, therefore, this principle is, the 

 fermentation mufl be briiker, or continued for a longer time. 



One of the infeparable effects of fermentation is, the pro- 

 duction of heat and carbonic acid cas. The firft of thefe re- 

 fults tends to volatilize and to difperfe the flavour and fmell, 

 which forms one of the principal characters of certain wines. 

 The fecond carries outwards, and caufes to be loft in the air 

 a fluid, which if retained in the beverage would render it 

 more agreeable and pungent. From thefe principles it fol- 

 lows, that weak wines, but of an agreeable flavour, require 

 little fermentation ; and that colourlefs wines, the principal 

 property of which is to be brifk, ought to remain fcarcely at 

 all in the vats. 



The moil immediate product of fermentation is the forma- 

 tion 



