198 THE ART OF WINE MAKING. 



and duration of the movement and action during 

 this important process. For this reason it will 

 be injudicious .to mix in the mashing tub the 

 different kinds of fruit, a practice not uncommon 

 among slovenly and careless vintners even in 

 France, though loudly condemned by the intel- 

 ligent wine makers of that country, as destruc- 

 tive of the best results of the vintage. 



It will require but little experience in this 

 important feature of wine making, to arrive at 

 the fact, that the fermentation of one kind of 

 fruit may be in active operation, whilst that of 

 another shall have completely finished, and the 

 movement subsided, to a superficial observation; 

 it will therefore be apparent that the wines of a 

 mixed pressing will be harsh and sour, and diffi- 

 cult of long conservation. An admixture of dif- 

 ferent wines is common in France, and may be 

 done to accomplish a special purpose, but never 

 till fermentation has effected its work com- 

 pletely, whereas any mixture of the fruit at press- 

 ing is pertinaciously avoided by the skilful 

 vintner. 



So extremely careful, at La Vaux,is the Swiss 

 cultivator, that by unanimous accord, they avoid 

 a cultivation of different grapes in the same 

 neighbourhood, and they are equally careful not 

 to use the same mashing tub, or even the same 

 press for different varieties of the grape. It is 

 contended there, that the must is so sensitive 

 that the delicacy and flavour of the wines are 

 seriously affected, where the fermentation is con- 

 ducted in tubs recently saturated from the mash 

 of a different fruit. 



