580 Journal of AgriciiUiirc. [10 Sept., 1909. 



Sail Andres Mosto Vifio es, sa\ s an old Spanish proverb; in other 

 words, by St. Andrew's Day (30th November) the must is wine. Acting 

 on this, in some bodegas a preliminary sorting is made about the end of 

 November, which saves many, butts of lighter wines from becoming pricked. 

 Sometimes, even thus early, such wines are covered with a film of Jlor, and 

 unless their alcoholic strength be raised to a safe point acetification is 

 liable to occur. 



Differences between indi\idual butts are not limited to the character 

 of the wine, but concern also the rapiditv and completeness of fermenta- 

 tion. Some ferment out rapidh. and are almost limi)id in a few weeks' 

 time; others ferment slowly, and even at midwinter still show traces of 

 fermentative action. A few cease working whilst vet slightly sweet, the 

 untransformed sugar giving rise to a fresh fermentation in the spring. 

 In a general way, scarcely two casks behave exactly alike, and great 

 differences are to be noticed in the resulting wines in consequence. 



Rackings. 



Sherry is a wine which is scarcely ever racked. It, in fact, receives in 

 the whole of its life rarel\ more than two rackings, such as we understand 

 this process, for the method to be described presently by which it is 

 passed onward through a series of stages, which make up the solera s\ stem 

 of rearing, can scarcely be termed racking. 



In former days, the usual rule was for the first racking to take place 

 about midwinter, and the second in spring. At each of these rackings it 

 was customary to increase the alcoholic strength of the wine by a slight 

 addition of alcohol* — enough to increase the strength by two or three per 

 cent, proof, not more. Sherry is not heavily fortified from its early youth, 

 as Port is. In the case of a preliminary November classification being 

 made, such wines as are sufficienth advanced to be immediately dealt 

 with are then racked, the others remaining over until midwinter, when they 

 are again examined, or even later. 



The Classification. 

 Whether classification takes place by St. Andrew's Day or later, the 

 basis on which it is carried out is the same ; the wines are drafted into one 

 or other several well defined t\pes. The contents of the cask are tasted, 

 and the chalk mark, characteristic of the type to which it is assigned, is 

 marked on it for further reference. 



The following are the types into which the different wincs are 

 drafted : — - 



Pal ma. 



Palo Cortado i 



Dos Cortado ^ These constituti' a j^roup of siiiiilai' wines. 



Ti-es Cortado \ 



Vn llaya j 



Dos Hayas )>-Tlie Rayas likewise constitute a gronp, 



Tres Rayas ) 



Parilla ... Wine for distillation. 



The chalk marks by which each ty])e is distinguished are shown in the 

 photographs. The im[X)rtance of this classiiicalion and its bearing on the 

 further evolution of the wine justifies a detailed description of the charac- 

 ter of each of the above types. 



* 111 one of the hoflea:as I visited, it was ex]>laiiicil to iiip tliut it was iu'ce.<sary to aarl a littl ■ spiiit wlieu 

 ckiiiy- to iiKikc uji for the fact that " It no loii;;cr had its lees to frid on." 



