172 ^ VITIS. No. 99 & 100- 



21. The coloring principle is immaterial to wines. 

 There are wines of all colors, clear as water, white, yel- 

 low, green, hyacinth, red, brown, black, &c. These 

 colors do not impart any value to wine; although the 

 finest and dearest wines are commonly pale, yet Con- 

 stantia and Lachryma, &.c. are red. 



22, Some wines lose their color or change it by age. 



■■V. 



Any wine can be made colorless, or clear as water by 

 infiltration through animal charcoal or ivory black* It 

 may be colored afterwards to any shade of yellow by 

 burnt sugar, and any shade of red by cochineal or Bra- 

 zil wood. The red Champaigne is colored by elder- 

 berries juice, boiled with tartar, a few drops are suffi- 

 cient to color a bottle of wine. Some kind of grapes are 

 used to color pale wines. 



23. Therefore, the essential operations to correct a 

 bad Must, or to make a good Must and wine, are to ob- 

 viate any deficiency in the juice of the grapes or other 

 fruits, by supplying the due proportion of sugar, tartaric 

 acid, mucilage, and water that may be lacking, besides 

 destroying; or absorbing the malic acid, avouling the 

 mixture of tannin, and procuring a grateful aroma. 



24. 1'he art of wine making includes, besides this fun- 

 damental knowledge, many practical operations, such as 

 gathering the grapes, carrying them, extracting the juice, 

 mending it, fermenting the liquor, fining and clarifyino-, 

 preserving the wine, obviating the defects and diseases. 

 It^ is even a part of this art how to drink the different 

 wines, 



25. Carbonic acid is always evolved in the act of fer- 

 mentation, and escapes with some alcohol by evapora- 

 tion. When restrained and prevented from escaping, it 

 provinces the brisk and sparkling wines. When fermen- 

 tation is allowed to take its course, all the carbonic acid 

 disappears. 



26. Grapes ought to be gathered in the day time and 

 a dry fair day. For the best wines, none but the sound 

 clusters are to be used ; for the very best, the sound 

 grapes ought J-o be separated from the peduncles, which 

 are to be th. ,31 away. Grapes are to be carried to the 

 vats or presses in baskets, without being crowded and 

 bruised* If dirty, they ought to be washed. 



