lo Jan., 1911-] Sidpliiting. 25 



Xor must we lose sight of the beneficial action of this agent in the 

 case of wines threatened with "casse,"' or oxidation through the agency 

 of a soluble ferment (as distinguished from organized ones) known as- 

 oxydase, so often present in faulty grapes. By powerfully protecting 

 the wine against such oxidation, defects in connexion with colour 

 and condition due to this cause, which is probal)ly responsible for more 

 damage than is usually realized, are obviated. 



A remarkable and satisfactory feature is the .small amount of sul- 

 phurous acid remaining in the finished wine, even though heavy doses 

 were employed in its making. This antiseptic is essentially a temporary 

 one, as distinguished from others, the use of which has been prohibited. 

 It exerts its useful influence at the propitious moment during the critical 

 time of fermentation, after which it largely disappears. A considerable 

 proportion, no doubt, is mechanically carried off by the bubbles of 

 carl:)onic acid produced by fermentation. In sulphured wines, sul- 

 phurous acid is found in three forms, viz., free acid, combined acid and 

 sulphates ; the first two of these, taken together constitute the total 

 sulphurous acid. To again quote M. Dupont — 



In a general wav, and especially in vatted wines, the proportion of free 

 sulphurous acid is insignificant, and that of total suljjhurous acid which, moreover, 

 is alone considered bv regulations now in force, maintains itself within very normal 

 limits, even in the case of treatments with a heavy dose of sulphurous acid. 



As regards sulphates, which are tolerated by the Council of Hygiene and by 

 the law of i8qi, up to the dose of 2 grammes Jier litre in plastered wines . . . 

 ihe increase resulting from " sulfilage " is relatively low (.1 to .2 grammes for 

 medium doses) and has never reached, even with massive doses, the figure of 

 I gramme per litre. No fear whatever is thus justifiable from this point of view. 



Advantages of Sulphiting. 



The improvement in quality of wine made according to the new 

 sy.stem is felt in .several different directions. 



Sounder and cleaner ?i7«^.- This is only what might be expected in 

 view of the suppression of bacterial action, so often responsible for 

 faulty wines. Comparative experiments, carried out during several 

 successive years, have proved to MM. Dupont and Ventre — 



That compared with control samples sulphited wines are always clean to 

 the palate and have acquired coolness [jraicheur), a taste of fruit, and even dis- 

 tinction {finesse). These are very noticeable in the case of wine made from sound 

 grapes, but the difference is still more marked with wine made from faulty grapes. 

 Not only is the taste of damaged grapes ipourri) avoided, but in addition sidphurous 

 acid seems to have, in a general way, the hapjjy i)ro]ierty of suy)pressing all bad 

 tastes deriving their origin from the grapes (fo.\y, earthy taste, \-c.). 



Steady and complete fer mentation. — Although the immediate effect of 

 sulphurous acid is to retard fermentation, such action is only temporary ; 

 fermentation eventually proceeds steadily, continuing until, as a rule, 

 more sugar has been converted \\\Uy alcohol than in the ca.se of wine 

 made in the usual way. Thus is the resulting wine drier and less 

 liable to give trouble afterwards. 



Control of Tein peraturc sinipli lud . -'\'\\i' moili'rating effect of sul- 

 phurous acid f)n fermentation ha> l«en taken advantage of for a good 

 many years, espcH-ially in parts of .Mgeria, where water for cooling was 

 scarce. This action m;iv, in fact, be looked upon as a .sort of indirect 

 cooling. W ht 11 ;q)|)liiil ;is a ngnlar wine-making ni«'thod, the same 

 aflvantagis arc obtaimd frcjm it. A gain of a verv few degrees in 

 temperature may mean the salvation of the wine, ;.nd such a gain is 

 frequent in the ca.se of siil|)hited grnpes. 



