1 18 Analysis of Scientific Books. 



circumstances which so considerably influence the latter, and 

 which refer to the quality of the grape, the climate and soil most 

 congenial to its culture, and the aspect in which it grows : the time 

 of year too when the vintage is collected, the preparation of the 

 fruit previous to its being pressed, and the various modifications 

 of fermentation that are adopted, all tend to modify the character 

 of the wines. Thus, the brisk wines are usually made from grapes 

 barely ripe ; dry and full bodied wines from those which are fully 

 mature ; while the luscious sweet wines are often procured from 

 grapes which have been allowed to shrivel upon the stalk, or which 

 are nearly converted into raisins by spreading out the vine which 

 bears them upon straw, and thus exposing them fully to the desic- 

 cating influence of the sun. In every part of the process of wine- 

 making the utmost attention to cleanliness is requisite ; the rotten 

 and green grapes should be carefully excluded, and all the vessels 

 employed should be well aired and cleansed, and perfectly free 

 from any thing that can in any way influence the contained liquor : 

 it is curious how much the flavour of a wine is frequently influenc- 

 ed even by the most trivial inattention to such circumstances, and 

 bow often it happens that bad wine results from the best grapes 

 grown under the most auspicious climate, from the innate filthi- 

 ness and habitual laziness of the inhabitants, and of the managers 

 of the process. 



Among other circumstances which very materially influence the 

 quality of the wine, we may enumerate the addition of the stalks 

 of the grape, which, though sometimes intentionally added, are 

 generally mischievous, and there can be little doubt that many 

 wines are spoiled to save the trouble of picking the grapes. In 

 port-wine the stalks are generally used, and perhaps contribute to 

 its roughness ; we have, however, tasted port-wine fermented with- 

 out the stalks, and from grapes carefully picked from all green 

 and rotten intruders, which was of most exquisite quality. From 

 all the best wines of Bourdeaux, and from those of the Rhine, the 

 stalks are always excluded, and we shall find that among the 

 various causes that contribute to the general excellence and deli- 

 cacy of the French wines, the cleanliness and attention with which 

 they are manufactured are perhaps the most essential. 



The general character of the wine is also affected by the 

 husk of the grape, to which the colour is usually referable, 

 there being but few grapes having a coloured pulp ; one of these, 

 the tintilla, or teinturier grape, furnishes a rich and deep-coloured 

 wine independent of the hull. Where the colour is derived from 

 the skin, its extraction requires a full and perfect fermentation ; 

 and although strong pressure will give a light tinge to the juice, 

 we rarely find wines red and brisk (;. c, imperfectly fermented) at 

 the same time. 



Upon the important subject of the perfume or aroma of wines 



