626 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



The ancient method was to leave the wine upon the lees during 

 the whole winter, and only rack part before the warmer weather set 

 in. In many Victorian cellars new red wines are left upon their first 

 lees for the alleged reason that they ferment out drier than if 

 racked off them. In reality it is the system of racking that is 

 at fault which destroys the very yeasts which it is most necessary 

 to keep in activity. If a wine, intended to be dry, still contains 

 a proportion of unfermented sugar it is necessary to use every means 

 to prolong the life of the alcoholic yeast while separating the wine 

 from all bacteria, who only look upon the unfermented sugar as 

 their natural prey. 



It is difficult to lay down a hard and fast rule as to when the 

 period of first racking is reached, as wine making is not an exact 

 science owing to the vagaries of climatic and other influences. Under 

 some conditions musts containing 16 degrees Beaume will ferment 

 ■out perfectly dry, and the wine resulting will clear naturally and be 

 fit to rack in the course of a month or six weeks. Sometimes the 

 reverse is the case, or, what is more serious still, the fermentation 

 ceases and the wine clears while still remaining sweet. 



As soon as the wine is in cask, the wine maker must carefully test 

 the alcoholic strength*, and continue to do so at intervals, carefully 

 noting the results obtained, while at the same time paying particular 

 attention to the state of the secondary fermentation. Before this 

 shows signs of languishing, if unfermented sugar still remains in 

 the wine, he must rack his wine, well iterating it during the process, 

 into unsulphured casks, regardless of the degree of brightness or 

 condition of the wine, while keeping his cellar at as warm a temperature 

 as possible. 



The oxidation will considerably assist the fermentation, and 

 provided the maximum alcoholic strength be not reached, the wine 

 will ferment out dry, when it should be again racked, but this time 

 sulphured. What is the actual maximum natural alcoholic strength 

 of a wine has yet to be determined, but as a general rule it lies 

 between 27 "S and 28'5 per cent, proof spirit. 



Another factor which most considerably affects the alcoholic pro- 

 duction is the acidity of the must in the first place, but as the export 

 market requires wines to be quite abnormally deficient in fixed acids, 

 it is a point that can only be touched upon in this article. The treat- 

 ment of the wine when it leaves the vat is also a consideration. 

 Where continuous presses are in use, a first racking should take 

 place within two weeks of devatting, or else the wines may be 

 seriously deteriorated by contact with the heavy lees produced. 

 When ordinary screw presses are used, the press wine can easily be 

 kept separate from the rest, and then receive separate treatment. 



If our export trade is to be increased and extended, it will be 

 by improved methods of production and manufacture rather than the 

 continuance of conservative and systematic carelessness. 



*It can be done for him free of charge at any time upon his sending labelled and addressed samples to 

 the Viticultural Station, Rutherglen. 



