1148 



WINE 



Bopiness or Viscidity of Wines. The cause of this phenomenon, which renders 

 wine unfit for drinking, was altogether unknown, till M. Fra^ois, an apothecary of 

 Nantes, demonstrated that it was owing to an azotised matter, analogous to gluten ; 

 and, in fact, it is the white wines, especially those which contain the least tannin, which 

 are subject to this malady. He also pointed out the proper remedy, in the addition 

 of tannin under a rather agreeable form, namely, the bruised berries of the mountain- 

 ash (sorbier) in a somewhat xinripe state ; of which 1 Ib. -well stirred in, is sufficient 

 for a barrel. After agitation, the wine is to be left in repose for a day or two, and then 

 racked off. The tannin by this time will have separated the azotised matter from the 

 liquor, and removed the ropiness. This wine is to be fined and bottled off. 



The taste of the cask, which sometimes happens to wine put into casks which hare 

 remained long empty, is best remedied by agitating the wine for some time with a 

 spoonful of olive oil. An essential oil, the chief cause of the bad taste, combines with 

 the fixed oil, and rises with it to the surface. 



The quantity of alcohol contained in different wines has been made the subject of 

 elaborate experiments by Brando and Fontenelle, and several others ; but as it must 

 evidently vary with different seasons, the results can be received merely as approxi- 

 mate. The proportion given by Brando (Table I. page 1147), has been reduced to the 

 standard of absolute alcohol by Fesser ; and that by Fontenelle (Table II.), to the same 

 standard by Schubarth, as in the following Tables. Table III. gives the alcoholic 

 strength of the Ehine wines. 



TABLE II. 



TABLE III. EHINE WINES. 





