THE ART OP WINE MAKING. , 203 



jury to the fermentation would arise, from the 

 admixture of any foreign ingredients, such as 

 crusts of bread, cheese parings, or other extra- 

 neous matter in the mashing tub. 



In detaching the bunches from the vine, they 

 should be carefully cut with the instrument, 

 called the vintage scissors, and not pulled or 

 forcibly dragged from the stock, as such negli- 

 gence has a tendency to bruise the fruit, the 

 skin of which whdn broken affords an outlet 

 through which a valuable portion of the saccha- 

 rine fluid is lost. For this reason, the gatherers 

 should carefully place the fruit in the baskets in 

 such a manner as to avoid all bruising or mash- 

 ing. All such bruising should be carefully 

 guarded against till the proper period arrive for 

 the performance of the operation, which is the 

 moment the fruit is thrown into the mashing 

 tub. In some wine countries, it is the practice 

 to perform the business of the vintage at several 

 different pressings, with intervals between each 

 operation. The gatherings, consequently, are 

 of that part of the fruit, which, on attentive ob- 

 servation, are found to exhibit the indications 

 of a perfect maturity. The bunches of such are 

 uniform, the fruit transparent, the seeds black, 

 or dark coloured, and the stem beginning to 

 dry. The wine produced from the pressing of 

 fruit, thus judiciously selected, is finer and more 

 delicate than under the ordinary process. In 

 many countries, where an extreme abundance of 

 the vintage does not allow an attention so minute, 

 it is the practice to cut and press altogether the 

 fruit of the season, without assorting or separat- 

 ing it. 



