742 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



oxidation, this salphurous acid produces suipiiuric acid wliicli upsets 

 the equilibrium of the elements of the wine in forming cream of tartar 

 at the expense of the free tartaric acid, which all new wines contain 

 more or less. As the wine is already saturated with cream of tartar, 

 whatever is formed is precipitated. This precipitation takes place 

 also in non-sulphured wines, but not so rapidly, for the free tartaric 

 acid only acts slowly on the potassic combinations in the wine of less 

 acidity than the wine itself, while in the presence of sulphurous acid 

 the destruction of these combinations seems more easy. 



