.\CTDITV ol' WINE. 41 «) 



ic) German whilr and red wines witli more tlian 1 . j \)Cy 

 niille. and 1.6 per mille. volatile acidity re.s])ectively 

 should not be sold for consumjition. even if tasting' dis- 

 closes nothing abnormal. 



( d) A wine is to be condemned as unlit for consumption 

 if its volatile acidity exceeds 1.2 mille and 1.6 per 

 mille. in the case of white and red wines respectively, 

 and if tastinq con'ohoratcs fJiis (the italics are mine. — 

 A. I. P.). 



{e) German ' Edelweine ' (liqueur wines i and wines which 

 have matured for over 10 years in wood are exempted 

 from (a), {b), (c) above. Their volatile acidity must 

 be specially judged in each case." 



He ftirther states that the United States' " Standards of 

 Purity for Food Products " ])ut 1 .2 per mille and j .4 ])er milk 

 as the maxima of volatile acid for white and red wine respec- 

 tively. Wortmann (8) considers that white wines with o.Q per 

 tnille to 1.2 per mille volatile acid and red wines with 1.2 |xt 

 mille to 1.6 per mille volatile acid should be regarded as diseased. 

 He further states that according to the (lerman " Xahrungsmii- 

 telgesetz "' ( F<3ods Act) white wines with over 1 .2 per mille vola- 

 tile acid and red wines with over 1.6 per mille volatile acid are 

 regarded as diseased, and not fit for consumption if the tasting 

 also proves them conclusively and without a dottbt to be diseased 

 (** verdorben "). This means that in the case of liqueur wine- 

 the limits allowed will be somewhat higher than aboAe stated, a- 

 the sugar will largely cover the volatile acids. 



From the aljove it will be clear that, in laying down limit- 

 for volatile acidity in sound wines, differences should be made 

 l>etween white and reil. dry and sweet, light and strong, young 

 and old wines ; the higher limit being fixed always in the second 

 case. But in addition to this the decision, in cases of any doul)i, 

 ■should always be confirmed by tasting. 



For South Africa I would, from personal local experience, 

 favour some such limits as were proposed by Moslinger in 1897 

 as f|Uoted above ifrotu Rottger. 



In conclusion. I would just mention that the volatile acids in 

 sound wines are. according to Babo and Mach (12), mainly acetic 

 acid together with smaller quantities of butyric, capronic, car- 

 prylic. ]>elargonic, lactic, and formic (usually minute quantities 

 onlyj acids. In the case of diseased wines also i)ro]:)ionic and 

 valeric acids occur amongst the volatile acids. 



BrULIOGRAPHY. 



(1) Pasteur, " Memoir e sur la fermentation alcoolique.'" 

 Annales dc Clihitic cf de Physique, 58 (1859). 



(2) Bechamp. " Sur I' acide acetique dans la fermentatioji 

 alcoolique. "Co/n/'/ri- rcndns, 56, 1/39. T086, I2y ; et tome 57. 96 



(1863). 



(3) Possetto, " La Chimica del \ mo." (1897), Tonno 202. 



