lo Aug., 1909.] Sherry : Its Making and Rearing. 527 



WLiie; they are used for the distillation of brandy and for consumption by 

 workmen on the \'ineyards. 



The good wine is filled into butts and immediately conveyed to the 

 large bodegas of the merchants in the town of Jerez. It is rare nowadays 

 for fermentation to take place at the casa de lagares. The butt is placed 

 on a waggon and taken into town. To guard against loss bv overflowing 

 at the bung, owing to fermentation, which usuallv commences before 

 removal, a funnel is inserted in the open bung-hole, in which the froth can 

 rise whilst the liquid portion finrls it way back into the cask. 



The Use of Yeso or Plaster. 

 The plastering of the grapes or addition of gypsum or sulphate of lime 

 prior to their being crushed has already been referred to. It is of sufiicient 

 importance to merit detailed consideration, for it opens up a question 

 which has given rise to much discussion in wine-growing countries of 

 recent years, and which has been regulated by the Pure Wine Acts of 

 most of them. 



This addition is bv no means peculiar to Jerez. It was common, 

 especially in warmer countries, where it was very freely used, until a limit 

 was placed on the quantit\ which could legally be added. This has 

 graduallv led to its almost compete disu.se in France and several other 

 countries. 



The object of plastering is to insure making a sound wine under con- 

 ditions more or less unfavorable to normal fermentation. It has long 

 been known that fermentation in presence of sulphate of lime is far less 

 liable to give trouble than without it, and especiallv in hot climates its 

 use has been customary since the very earliest times. 



According to Dr. Armand Gautier, one of the leading viticultural and 

 medical authorities of France — 



■' The effects of plastering are multiple. It appreciably hastens the cleansing 

 (depoiiillement and clarification of wine and thus partly opposes itself to the action 

 of disease germs. It helps to dissolve certain colouring matters ... as well 

 as a certain proportion of salts of weak organi acids. ... At the same time, 

 the plaster acts upon the cream of tartar, from which it removes one-half of its 

 tartaric acid, in the shape of neutral tartrate of lime, which precipitates, whilst 

 acid sulphate of potash is dissolved in place of the cream of tartar." 



He quotes the formula given bv Bussy and Buignet as follows: — 



Cream of tarcai'. Suljihate of Tartrate of Acid sulphate Ci earn of tartar, 



lime. lime. of potash. 



•2 (KHO4H4O,;) + Ca. SO4 = CaCiHiO,; + KHSO4 -f KHC4 H4 Oe 

 In a foot-note he also gives M. Magnier's formula: — 



Cream of tartar. Sulphate of Tartrate of Neutral sulphate Cream of taitar. 



lime. lime. of potash. 



2(KHC4H4 0,;) + CaS()4 = Ca C4 H4 Og -f Kg SO4 + C4 H,; 0,; 

 which he. however, considers to be only the first stage in the reaction, 



'■ The final result of which is always according to MM. Bussy and Buignet's 

 formula." 



He concltides bv approving of the action of the French War Depart- 

 ment in fixing the limit of the contents of sulphate of potash in wines 

 purchased for the French Army at 2 grammes per litre. This limit was 

 eventuallv adopted throughout the country, a lead which has since been 

 followed bv most other countries. It is the limit fixed by our own Pure 

 Wine Act. 



