THE AUT OF WINE MAKING. 219 



that it was scarcely to be anticipated that they 

 would produce a wine fit for drinking. The 

 half of them were so unripe, that neither the 

 grapes nor the stems could be tasted without an 

 astringent acidity which was but barely support- 

 able. Without any other precaution than that 

 of separating the fruit which had perished, from 

 that which, though immature, was perfectly sound, 

 I caused it to be broken up by the crushing 

 wheels, and expressed the juice by hand. 



The must of this experiment was thick, of a 

 green hue, of a flavour called by the vintner, < a 

 sour sweet,' (aigre douce] in which the acid was 

 so predominant, that no one could taste it with- 

 out a countenance distorted by grimace. 



I dissolved in the must a sufficient portion of 

 sugar, to impart to it the flavour of a tolerably 

 sweet wine ; and without heating or clarifying 

 it, I placed it in a cask, in a summer house at the 

 bottom of my garden, where it was left to work 

 its own way in the purification. The fermenta- 

 tion was fairly established, in full operation the 

 third day, and continued in active movement for 

 eight days, in a degree which, though quite sen- 

 sible to observation, was nevertheless very mode- 

 rate. After that time it ceased of itself to ex- 

 hibit any appearance of movement or action. 

 The wine which resulted from the experiment, 

 being newly made, and still thick, was yet of a 

 vinous force and agreeable odour, and lively and 

 piquante. 



The flavour was a little harsh, inasmuch as that 

 of the sugar had as completely disappeared as 

 though it had never been added to the mass. In 



