CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 187 



from 28 to 561bs. of the dried elderberry "being used to the pipe of 

 wine. Another addition of brandy, of from four to six gallons to 

 the pipe, is now made to the mixture, which is then allowed to rest 

 for about two months. 



At the end of this time it is, if sold, transferred to Oporto, where 

 it is racked two or three times, and receives two gallons more of 

 brandy per pipe ; and it is then considered fit to be shipped to Eng- 

 land, it being about nine months old ; and at the time of shipment, 

 one gallon more of brandy is usually added to each pipe. The wine, 

 thus having received at least 26 gallons of brandy per pipe, is con- 

 sidered by the merchant sufficiently strong, an opinion which the 

 writer, at least, is not prepared to dispute. 



This is one way. Another way is this. The finer sorts of 

 grapes are selected of several kinds, those which are decayed or un- 

 ripe being removed. They are then trodden, as in the preceding case, 

 but the fermentation is allowed to proceed three fourths of the full 

 time proper for it. The wine is then transferred to the tonels, where 

 it receives from six to ten gallons of brandy, of the same strength as 

 that before mentioned, per pipe. About two months afterwards it is 

 drawn off into other tonels, and each pipe receives about six additional 

 gallons of brandy, and from six to eighteen gallons of jeropiga. The 

 wine is then sent to Oporto, where the future treatment proceeds as 

 in the first case, except that it receives there, on the whole, five, in- 

 stead of two, gallons more of brandy. Of the port shipped for the 

 English market as " vintage wine," that is from nine months to two 

 years old, at least two thirds is made in one or other of the ways just 

 mentioned. It may be well here to observe, that the practice of send- 

 ing these new wines is any thing but advantageous to the consumer. 

 Port wines of this age are too astringent to be offered to him pure ; 

 but by the use of sweetening and other ingredients, they are rendered 

 softer to the palate, and acquire a false appearance of maturity, and 

 thus the inexperienced are deceived. Of the remaining third of the 

 wine which goes to England, only a very small portion is without a 

 considerable admixture of jeropiga. Some is made from an indis- 

 criminate mixture of grapes, and some from grapes carefully selected 

 and culled ; but each kind has the advantage of being folly fermented, 

 and also that of remaining without jeropiga till that fermentation has 

 ceased. This is the best kind of the adulterated wines; but still it 

 has not received less than 25 gallons of strong brandy. 



The coloring matter of the grapes, produced by a complete fer- 

 mentation on the husk, varies in intensity according to the character 

 of the grape, but imparts no smell to the wine. This color varies 

 from a pale rose to a bright purple (never deeper except where souzao 

 is used), is perfectly transparent, and mellows with age ; the rose be- 

 comes tawny, and the purple ruby, both of which colors are dura- 

 ble. The deepest of the artificial coloring matters, or dyes, at present 

 used, is elderberry. It is employed indiscriminately with any and 

 every quality of grape, and imparts a disagreeable medicine-like smell 

 wherever it is used. It gives at first a dull, very dark purple hue, 

 like dirty ink, to the wine ; and, in course of time, changes to a brick 



