WINE 1139 



The white wines, which might be disposed to become stringy, from a deficient 

 supply of tannin, may be preserved from this malady by a due addition of the foot- 

 stalks of ripe grapes. The tannin, while it tends to preserve the wines, renders them 

 also more easy to clarify, by the addition of white-of-egg or isinglass. 



The white wines should be racked off as soon as the' first frosts have made them 

 clear, and at the latest by the end of the February moon. By thus separating the 

 wine from the lees, the fermentation which takes place on the return of spring, and 

 which, if too brisk, would destroy all its fiweetness by decomposing the remaining 

 portion of sugar, is avoided or rendered of little consequence. 



The characteristic odour possessed by all wines, in a greater or less degree, is pro- 

 duced by a peculiar substance, which possesses the characters of an essential oil. As 

 it is not volatile, it cannot be confounded with the aroma of wine. When large quan- 

 tities of wine are distilled, an oily substance is obtained towards the end of the 

 operation. This may also be procured from the wine lees which are deposited in 

 the casks after the fermentation has commenced. It forms 1-40, 000th part of the 

 wine, and consists of a peculiar acid, and ether, each of which has been called the 

 omanthic. The acid is analogous to the fatty acids, and the ether is liquid, but in- 

 soluble in water. The acid is perfectly white when pure, of the consistency of butter 

 at 60, melts with a moderate heat, reddens litmus, and dissolves in caustic and car- 

 bonated alkalis, as well as in alcohol and ether. (Enanthic ether is colourless, has an 

 extremely strong smell of wine,, which is almost intoxicating when inhaled, and a 

 powerful disagreeable taste. Liebig and Pelouze. 



PORTUGAL. Port wine is the produce of a single well-defined district in the north 

 of Portugal, extending 8 leagues west and east from the Serra do Marao, an elevation 

 of 4,400 feet above the level of the sea, to the Quinta da Baleira, near San Joao da 

 Pesqueira, and 4 leagues north and south between Villa Keal and Lamego. The 

 returns of the vintages in this area, known as the Alto Douro, from 1843 to 1851, show 

 the average production of qualities fit for use in ordinary years to be 63,568 pipes, in 

 addition to which there are 20,633 pipes of refuse, fit only for distillation ; in all 

 84,211 pipes. 



The alcoholic contents of Port wine, as given by Brande, are : The maximum 

 quality, 23-92 ; the minimum, 19'82. 



Dr. Christison gives the alcoholic contents of Port wine in volume as : Weak, 18 ; 

 average of seven kinds, 20; strong, 21. 



Red wine of a good character is grown in the vicinity of Figueira, and sometimes 

 shipments have taken place from that port and from Aviero for the English market. 



Portugal, in addition to Port wine and its congeners, yields a variety of other wines 

 of a sound and good character ; and at one time England consumed, though never 

 very largely, the white wines of Lisbon and Bucellas, and the red wines of the Minho 

 and Beira ; but the taste for them changed ; it was transferred to the drier and 

 stronger-bodied wines of Spain, and their importation came to an end. 



SPAIN. The Sherries of Spain have long been favourite wines in England and the 

 United States. In 1840, Sir E. Tennent informs us the consumption attained an 

 average of 2,500,000 gallons, and in 1854 it had risen to 2,751,230 gallons. The more 

 recent imports into this country will be seen in the Table at the end of this article. 



In the Basque Provinces a light wine, called Chacoli, is produced, but not in large 

 quantities. Mr. Lumley gives the value of the wines of this district as 17,0721. 



Alicante produced about 21,118 pipes of wine in 1857. 



Valencia produced about 150,000 pipes of 100 gallons each. 



Cadiz produces annually from 60,000 to 70,000 butts of new wine ( Mosto) at about 71. 

 per butt. The Sherries exported from this district are never under three to four years old. 



Barcelona is stated to produce 85,000,000 gallons. 



Tarragona exports by sea about 35,000 butts, and a large portion is consumed in the 

 province. 



Malaga. Many kinds of grapes are cultivated in this province. The Pedro Ximenes, 

 Doradillo, and Don Bueno are cultivated entirely for the manufacture of wine. The 

 Uvas de Parra or trellis vine, the Passa larga or bloom raisin grape, and the Loja, 

 which is shipped green for England for table use, are cultivated for exportation as 

 fruit. Of Malaga wine the annual produce is on the average about 20,000 butts. 

 Three butts of Malaga wine yield one of brandy, while ten butts of French wine are 

 required to produce the same quantity of spirit. This brandy is used to cure the wines. 



Aragon produces a large quantity of wine, those which are most preferred being the 

 wines of Campo de Carinena. Many of the wine districts of Old Castile produce also 

 large quantities of wine. 



'At present many of .the Spanish wines are not only so badly made that they will 

 not keep for two years, but their quality is much injured from their being kept and 

 transported in pig-skins.' Correspondent of tlis Secretary of Legation at Madrid. 



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